Phonecall
by BattKattColourBlak
Summary: What happens when we sleep? There are those that sleep-walk and sleep-talk, and even order things over the net while sleeping. What about dialing the phone while we sleep? Who are we trying to reach? It's all done. For now. Broken Red is next!
1. First Call

This is a story. I love working on it. I have 18 other chappies already done. I'll be posting a chappy a week. I hope you enjoy reading this! (First chappy is the shortest, btw)

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"...hello?"  
My eyes snapped open as a soft voice echoed in my ear. The phone was pressed against my ear...  
I groaned internally. *Dammit; not again...* I cleared my throat.  
"S-sorry about that..." I yawned. "I sleep dial..." Shit! I didn't have to say that...oh, well...  
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you..." I glanced at the clock: 2:17 A.M. "I must've woken you up."  
"It's okay," the soft and somewhat raspy voice replied. "I wasn't asleep." "Oh."  
We both stayed quiet for a moment, though neither of us hung up.  
"So, um..." I started. "I'm sorry again...um...'bye." I moved to put the phone back in the cradle.  
"Wait."  
I paused, then brought the phone back to my ear. "Yeah?"  
"Could we...could we just talk for a bit?"  
I cocked my head to the side. "I guess. I won't be goin' back to sleep after this..." I heard the voice let out a sigh, as if relieved. "Well than," he said, for by now I was awake enough to tell it was a guy. "What shall we talk about?"  
"Hmm...how about an introduction?" I suggested. "My name's Laura. What about you?"  
There was a silence at the other end of the line. "Hello?" "...Johnny.  
My name is Johnny C., but I suppose you could call me 'Nny'."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

And that was the first time I sleep dialed Nny. I suppose one thing really did lead to another, but telling you that now would be getting ahead of myself, now wouldn't it?


	2. A Note on Sleep

**Hello peoples! I love writing this! One week ago I started posting this for yous, and that means chapter two comes out! Yaaaay... Well anywho, please enjoy chappy two of Phonecall!**

*fwwwessshhhhhh* *chrahash* *ssssshhhhhheyorsssshhhh*  
The odd noises went on for several moments before Johnny spoke into the phone. "Laura. Wake up."  
It never took much to rouse her; tell her to wake up and she would.  
This girl that had sleep-dialed him one night.  
*chksha...* "Woo-haaaa..." she yawned. "Hu-hey..." she said sleepily. "Hiya, Nny."  
He always found it odd that Laura had such an easy transition between the sleeping and waking worlds- something he had never experienced. She always seemed to know where she was.  
What she was doing.  
When it was.  
What was real.  
And what was not.  
"Nny? You still there?"  
He breathed out through his nose. "Yeah. Hey. You awake yet?"  
He asked this because not only does Laura sleep-dial, she also sleep talks. And apparently she also sleep walks. Johnny actually waited twenty minutes one night before hanging up.  
It can get awefully lonely at 2 in the morning.  
He heard another yawn. "Give me another minute and I will be," she replied. "Still working on the lucidity thing..."  
Another reason he didn't enjoy sleeping.  
"So Nny..." She began. "Did you stretch that canvas yet?"  
Oh yeah. He'd forgotten about that.  
"No, not yet..."  
"Is it a time thing?"  
"No. It's more of a lack of inspiration."  
"Have you left your house in a while?"  
Damn. She got him there.  
"No...I've been in for about a week."  
"Oh."  
A pause.  
"Well...why don't you at least go talk to your neighbor friend; Squee, right?"  
He shrugged reflexively. "I don't know. I might..."  
Poor Squeegee was prolly going insane with those shitty 'parents' of his.  
"I hate to sound cliche and all, but maybe you should go out. You know, just to get away from stale air and stagnant thoughts."

"That's not a bad idea...but..." He paused. What was it he didn't like with that plan?  
"'But' what?"  
Oh, now he remembered.  
"I don't think I can be around people right now. Just...the thought of it sickens me."  
"Then go out during the dead time!"  
"I'm normally talking to you about then."  
"Oh. Hm, you are correct, sir."  
It did present a slight problem.  
"Hm...I suppose watching tv really only numbs the mind, eh?"  
"Yeah," he agreed. "It's a useful tool for escapism, but not much else."  
They continued talking until the stars began to fade from the night sky.  
Like they normally did.  
"Well...until my next sleep-dial."  
They had not exchanged numbers, but Laura always seemed to dial his.  
"Yeah. I'll talk to you later."  
"'Bye, Nny."  
"'Bye."  
As he placed the phone back into it's cradle, Johnny C. glanced about his living space. The doughboys were still stuck to his wall, Nailbunny (or rather it's head) was on a dresser, and Reverend Meat was chuckling from a table. "You should go out and meet here, Nny," Urged Meat. "Go and meet this girl you've been talking to for over two months now. Talk to her face to face."  
For once, all Nny did was turn his back on the voice.  
Without a word.


	3. Spin Around and Turn

**Wednesday again! Not a bad day, I must say. Here's chappy 3 of Phonecall. Enjoy!**

Spinning. Spinning. Spinning.

*rewing rewing*

*rewing rewing*  
The phone rings and I am awake.  
For some reason, my old 'teddy'- a tie-dye T-Rex- seems to keep staring at me.  
I pick up the phone, wishing like a naive little school-girl that it's him.  
"Hello, Laura?"  
My Mum's voice.  
Johnny doesn't know my number.  
I force some cheeriness into my voice. "Hiya, Mumzy! What's up?"  
We chat about trivial things, such as how I was doing, how my school was, how work was. Things that bored me on most days. I love my Mum, don't get me wrong, but...  
Trivial things seem less trivial when I'm talking to Him.  
I don't know why.  
"Well, I'm glad you're doing alright, Laura."  
"Yeah, so am I, Mumz."  
She chuckled. "Don't be such a wise-ass. I'll call again next week, okay?"  
"Okay, Mom. Ciao."  
"'Bye."  
Spinning. Spinning. Spinning.  
The world turns as hours pass.  
The sun begins to set and my stomache yells at me.  
I put the phone back into it's cradle and glance back at my 'teddy'. Was he laughing?  
*Nah,* I told myself. *You're still not used to living alone yet, Laura...*  
The particular breed of human I spawn from craves human interaction.  
It also despises it.  
I can't be around people.  
But I also cannot be alone.  
The emptiness scares me.  
I am good at making friends. They are good people. They are not quite like the friends I had back in my closed little community. My home.  
We keep in touch.  
But it's not the same.  
Talking to Johnny is almost like talking to those friends. In a way.  
Too bad I can't call him when I am fully consious.  
Oh, well.  
I do sleep dial him nearly every other night. Over the last 3 months I have called Johnny no less 50 times. For the majority of the last 3 months, I have been getting the crappiest sleep ever.  
Dark shadows beneath my eyes clearly visible.  
My stomache is constantly screaming at me for the disrupted sleep-cycle, which also effects the way the organs function.  
My grades have yet to plummet, but that is because I am still taking my concentration meds.  
That, and the homework for my school sets deadlines for art, so it's not nearly as bad as what I used to have to put up with.  
And you know, I can't really help it. I sleep dial. I tried unplugging the phone one night to try to get more sleep.  
I plugged it back in while I slept.  
My mind craves the conversations I have with Johnny. That's my only theory. The only reason that makes any sense at all to me.  
As much sense as that is...  
And Johnny helps ease that craving.  
Spinning. Spinning. Spinning.  
The world turns. I eat.  
Eventually, I lose sense of the world turning.  
*rewing rewing*  
The phone rings, and I am asleep.

****

"Hello, Laura?"  
He waited. He heard her voice mumbling.  
He had dialed her number.  
He didn't know how.  
He heard her voice.  
She didn't answer.  
Of course.  
Laura slept.  
He didn't.  
She could always reach him.  
But he could never seem to reach her.  
Even when He tried.  
"Hey, Laura."  
She had picked up the phone, had spoken, but she did not awaken.  
"Laura. Wake up."  
*rshawwwww*  
She breathed into the phone.  
He sighed through his nose and his muscles loosened.  
*Life never works how you want it to.*  
No, no it does not.  
"Nevermind. Good night, Laura."  
He placed the phone in its' cradle and sat back in his couch.  
He tried to relax.  
[Nny, you want to talk to her badly, don't you?]  
"I don't know what I want, Meat," he replied. "And I prefer it this way."  
[What is this Little Laura to you, Nny? A friend, or a way to pass the time?]  
He glared at Reverend Meat. "You might as well be asking the same question, because my answer isn't changing."  
[You've become boring, Nny. You should live more. Acknowledge what little sensation you have. Build on it. Let it grow.]  
"That is not what I wa-" He stopped himself from uttering That Word.  
[Cutting yourself off from want is not what you need. Humans need want. Without it, you'd be so much less than human.]  
"Then let me be inhuman. Let me be less than human."  
Meat chuckled ironically. [Then you wouldn't be able to talk to Little Miss Laura, would you? Or is that what you Want? To not be able to talk to another intelligent human being?]  
"I don't Want anything!" Johnny yelled. "I don't even...Want to Want."  
[In other words, you Want to not Want.]  
Johnny hated that word.  
Johnny hated that Word.  
He oh so hated That Word.  
But he had nothing to say to that. He did Want to not Want.  
But his mind craved intelligent conversation.  
Laura helped to ease that craving.  
Helped ease the Want.  
So he waited for her to call him. Same as normal.  
He'd already forgotten the number he had dialed, anyways.


	4. Near Miss

**Another Wednesday rolls by and another chappy to post. I feel as though it shall take a while for me to publish all the chappies at this rate; currently, I have twenty others. Enjoy!**

It was cold out today, but he didn't wear a coat.

He sat at a bench by the dilapidated park and boredly examined the passerby. The wall no longer forced him to paint, and he wasn't in the mood to kill anyone.

Still, he watched them.

There, on the one working swing: a small child being pushed by her older brother or something. She was wearing threadbare mittens and boots that were obviously too large for her. Her brother was dressed no better.

*The little one reminds me of Squee, almost. At least she has somebody to care for her.*

There, by the untended park garden: An older couple staring about the sad park as though it were the most beautiful place on earth.

*If that were the case, I would stick out like a rotten thumb here.*

There, sitting on a- wait, was she sitting on a treebranch?: a girl-maybe in her teens?- dressed in black, gazing sadly at the siblings. She seemed to be waiting for some one.

*And if she falls and dies, it won't be my fault.*

And lastly, over by the broken fountain: a teen boy wearing a football jacket, glancing about nervously while reading a large book, as if he were afraid of being caught doing something that involves using brain-cells.

*At least he does use them, even if he hides it.*

People going about there lives in a sad little city park, living with their little happiness.

Content.

A desire for which he wished to escape from.

He wondered, very briefly, what Laura was up to. Very briefly.

He wondered, less briefly, if she ever went to this park, but he brushed the thought away.

*She may live in the same time-zone, but that doesn't mean she lives anywhere nearby.*

This place was such a shit-hole, and he really couldn't imagine Her living in a place like this. Or, you know, she could be one of those people: those people that live in shit-holes that doesn't deserve that. Like the kids.

But not like him.

He got up from the bench and began walking to where he'd parked his car.

*Another day for me to not remember.*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

I shivered and pulled my coat tighter around me and continued to watch the brother and sister by on the swing. The little girl was now trying to push her larger brother on the swing, much to his amusement.

There had been a man sitting on the park bench, also watching the siblings. I couldn't read his face from here because I had forgotten my glasses at home.

For half a second, I wondered if it could be Johnny.

But no. That was a silly thought.


	5. No Rest for the Insane

**Okay, I like updating for you guys, so I gave myself a new rule: Updates on Wednesdays and every other Thursday. So no update next Thursday, but the one after haz update. Oh, anywho, enjoy this chappy!**

A double ring. An answer. A query. An awakening. A conversation.

Onset of sleeplessness.

Resulting in exhaustion.

I'm tired.

I'm not sleeping.

"I don't think my body wants me to sleep anymore, Nny."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

I tapped the reciever with my nails. "Well, I haven't slept a full night in over two weeks. You know what happens to a body after that amount of sleeplessness?"

"I have an idea..."

Oh, right. Johnny doesn't sleep.

"You may be used to it, but I'm not..."

"It's been three months; I'd expect you to be used to it by now. Why do you want to sleep, anyways?"

I sighed. "I don't want sleep, Nny. I need sleep. I love talking to you, and I think my sub-consious associates that with keeping myself awake."

"And there's something wrong with that? I like talking to you, as well."

"If I could talk to you all the time, if I were able to do something like that, I would very happily. But I have school, and my body has been taking a beating from all this lack of sleep. Oh, and work. There's work, too."

"And...why are we having a conversation about why we shouldn't be having conversations?"

I chuckled. "That seems to be about the gist of it, huh? Let me very sneakily change the subject. How is your painting coming along? I am sneaky."

I heard Nny chuckle over the phone. It was an odd sound, like a deeper sounding rattlesnake rattle.

"I stretched the canvas two days ago, but I've only laid down the base colour. I don't even know what I want to paint."

"Did you go outside at all?"

"Yeah; I went to the local park the other day. It didn't really help much."

"Oh, well that stinks. Oh hey, it's getting pretty cold out, too."

"Yeah. It is."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

To continue on with the entirity of our conversation in the detail I feel it deserves would be to lose your attention.

That is not what I'm after.

Nor is it very helpful to me.

After all, I'm trying to tell my story.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Pick up the brush.

Choose a colour.

Drag brush against canvas.

Paint.

White on dark blue back-ground. Paint a spiral? A touch of red here, maybe some spines along the edges.

Or blood.

Maybe blood.

"NO!"

A deep red streak.

"NO!"

A knife slash.

"NO! FUCK!"

A white gash; a scar.

"NO! No..."

Down goes the brush and palatte.

Our painter put a hand on top of his canvas to steady himself.

It tilted, and both he and the canvas topled to the floor.

"FUCK!"

He slammed his fist against the floor.

"FUCK, SHIT! DAMMIT!"

He pushed himself up into a crouch and stared sadly at the canvas beneath him. He had punched a hole through it, paint was all over the front of his clothes and his floor.

"Dammit..." He muttered. "And I really liked the shirt..."

[Another false painting, eh, Nny?]

"Shut up, Meat," our painter growled from his position on the floor. "I am NOT in the mood for your shit."

[What are you gonna tell Little Laura when she calls, huh?]

"I don't know, nor does it really matter," Johnny muttered, standing up and examining the 'carnage'.

[Of course you care; otherwise, you wouldn't have sounded so desperate when she started talking about needing more sleep.]

"I didn't sound desperate. Note a single note of desperation rang in my voice."

[No no, not a single note.]

"Then why did you say I sounded desperate?"

[Because, rather than a single note ringing true, a whole symphony of music played out.]

...

[You should have recorded it; it would have made millions at the theater. So much money to indulge in your desires...]

"And all of this based off of something that didn't play out how you heard it? Either I need to get my ears cleaned, or we need to get you a new head."

[Hey...]

Johnny grabbed his coat and walked out of the house.

*I've had enough of his bull-shit.*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Stop it."

*silence.*

"Stop staring at me, Littlefoot."

The tie-dye dinosaur continued to stare at me.

"I swear, Littlefoot, I will put you in the closet again."

{She wants to speak. Let her speak/speak my sweet/of the one you wish to meet.}

"Shut up."

{Silence is so golden/a cloud of silver/she wants to speak to him/call him/meet him.}

"Stop it, Littlefoot. Please, just...just stop it."

{She is so sweet/my little girl/she asks so nicely/alright/this one shall be silent.}

/bUt ThIs OnE sHaLl NoT./

I place my head between my knees...

And all but begged for sleep.


	6. Lucidity

**Hello again! Chapter the 6th this be, isn't it? Things pick up every now and then, don't they? Or maybe I'm just sounding stupid. Well, I do stupid things every now and then. I did something stupid yesterday and I'm fully regretting it it now, but I'm trying to put that behind me. Oh well. Ignore my rant and enjoy the story!**

{If you only wish to sleep/sleep and sleep shall come/if you only wish to speak/wake you be 'til rise the sun.}  
/iF yOu WaNt To MeEt ThIs CrEaTuRe So BaDlY, yOu ShOuLd TeLl HiM. hE wOuLd LiKe To KnOw, DoN't YoU tHiNk?/  
I've always spoken to my toys. I've always put voices to them, but never like this. It's slightly unsettling.  
For you see, as crazy as people call me, I've never heard voices from them.  
They always came from me, first.  
Like now: I never imagined Littlefoot (my tie-dye T-Rex that I've had since my first b-day) would speak in such a disjointedly poetic way. And Firo (a plush back-pack thing) always seemed to have a childish voice...okay, he still kind of does. But Firo's much younger than Littlefoot.  
But I digress.  
Since I'd starting hearing my toys speaking to me in a way I cannot control, I've been having full-length conversations with them.  
Their advice is neither helpful nor useful.  
"Firo, I cannot ask to meet this guy."  
/WhY nOt? YoU sEeM tO rEaLlY lIkE tAlKiNg To HiM./  
"And other than that he doesn't sleep and paints everynow and then, I really don't know much about him."  
{And known him for long/my sweet little one/known him long/love his conversations/you do/meet him/but sleep/both worlds?/you cannot have both.}  
"And that's my point, L.F. I either sleep or don't talk to him. And my mind wants me to talk to him, but my body wants to- no, needs to sleep."  
/tO sEpErAtE mInD aNd BoDy Is NoT aN oPtIoN hErE, iS iT?/  
"Nope. Even if that were possible, I don't think I'd do it."  
{You must make/ decide, my sweet/ make a choice/ look out at the stars/what does my precious/one is falling/wish for/wish on it?}  
/wIsH fOr HiM. wIsH fOr SlEeP. wIsH fOr IcE-cReAm. I aM hUnGrY./  
I know I did make a wish that night.  
But I can't remember what it was.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

2:17 A.M.  
The time the phone normally rang.  
*riiiiing*  
Right on time.  
Phone pressed against his ear.  
"Wake up, Laura."  
Some half-lucid mumblings.  
*shrawwww* "Hu-hullo, Nny..."  
"Hey."  
"Gimme a sec; I need to wu-wake up a lllittle more..."  
He waited.  
He looked at the carnage on his floor: the canvas, now torn, useless, destroyed. Paint everywhere.  
"Okay. I'm awake. How's the painting coming along."  
Incomplete. No longer something that can be turned into a painting.  
"...I had a bit of an artistic break-down."  
He heard her make a sympathetic noise. "Yeah, that happens to me a lot, too."  
*Not quite like this, though.*  
"I swear," she continued, "Everytime I paint or draw something, I end up having a sort of anxiety attack. Like, if one line or detail is out of place, I hyperventilate. It's annoying as Hell, I gotta tell ya."  
*You have no idea how annoying Hell really is.*  
"You know," he murmered, "I used to have a similare issue. It never really got better..."  
"Really? How so?"  
He paused for a moment. "Well, you know about the whole artistic fury thing?"  
"Yep."  
"Sometimes...I feel as though I create a whole new definition for the term."  
"Did you destroy your canvas or something? What happened?"  
He sat very still, and very quiet.  
"You...you did, didn't you?"  
"...kind of, yeah."  
"Well, that's no fun."  
"I know."  
Meat chuckled from his corner.  
Laura spoke to him.  
He answered her questions.  
Asked questions of his own.  
About art. About movies. About music. About life.  
About anything but what he Wanted to talk about.  
Meeting her.


	7. A Glimpse of a Voice

**Here's chappy 7! Enjoy! Chappy 8 will be up tomorrow!**

I splashed some cold water into my face and looked into the mirror. I was a freakin' mess.  
Dark circles beneath my eyes.  
Sallowed and pale skin.  
Unkempt hair.  
That and, well...  
I wear a lot of black clothing. Kinda gives me a 'creature of the night' look.  
I made a little boy cry today.  
It was 9 at night and I was at the local 24/7 shop. For half an hour I had sat outside, just relaxing. I almost fell asleep, then that damn kid had to poke me. He apparently had thought I was dead.  
How scared he must have been when I shouted at him...  
Hell, I probably would've run away crying, too.  
I still want to run away and cry.  
I felt a constant weakness, something I couldn't shake off. My face is drawn, my appearance messier than the norm, and my attitude just down-right sucked. I almost shouted at a customer while working the other day!  
Oh, that and my toys are talking to me.  
/i WaNt IcE-cReAm./  
I sighed and shook my head. *No ice-cream for the stuffed, Firo.*  
/BuT i WaNt It.../  
*No.*  
I got up from the bench I was resting on and walked inside the store.  
The fluorescent lighting glared into my eyes, but I was too tired to glare back. Plus, doing that would hurt my eyes.  
I made my way to the fridgey section and browsed.  
/IcE-cReAm./  
*No Firo.*  
/IcE-cReAm./  
*Firo, give it up.*  
I ended up snagging a bottle of Fiz-wiz (strawberry flavour) and made my way to the candy section. Gummy bears. Yum.  
I sighed again and closed my eyes, listening to the voices of the cashier and another person.  
Wait...  
"Is this all you're getting, dude?" Said the cashier.  
"Yeah."  
Wait...  
That voice.  
It was...very familiar.  
"Where have I heard that voice before?" I mumbled to myself.  
I walked out of the isle to see the source of the voice, but he was already gone.  
*Oh...now I know what that sounded like. It kinda sounded like Johnny.*  
I paid for my snacks and left the store.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

He almost thought he'd heard her voice at the 24/7.  
But that was stupid.

...

The stupidity of the idea didn't stop him from hoping.


	8. Awakening

**Here's chappy 8 for you desperate, desperate fans (I love kidding myself sometimes…)**

I wandered around the book-store in an almost aimless fashion. I was really there to pick up books on insomnia.  
I hadn't slept in nearly a month.  
An hour at a time did not count.  
I looked like the walking dead, paler than I've ever been, my eyes looking as though some-one had broken my nose, my hands shaking so bad that it was very difficult to draw.  
By this point, my grades had started to fall.  
That and my mood has been terrible. I jumped from being incredibly manic one minute to wanting to curl up into a ball and sleeping forever the next.  
Right now, I was closer to the latter.  
I pulled a book off the shelf at random and flipped through it. All I got was that there were as many reasons behind insomnia as there were stars in the sky.  
I tucked it under my arm anyways.  
I passed through the comics section and pulled off some manga books. I only slept for about an hour at a time now, and reading helped me get to sleep.  
My legs were shaking as I walked towards the check-out. I caught a glimpse of a very skinny man browsing the biography section, muttering to himself.  
"It always happens," I heard. "The book that I so anxiously anticipate it's release is never here when it should be..."  
My legs shook even more as I waited in line.  
That voice again.  
Johnny's voice.  
*Am I losing it?*  
The edges of my vision blurred and distorted.  
The man stepped in line behind me, still muttering.  
"This will do for now..."  
** my mind repeated.  
*Johnny can't be here. That's not possible.*  
"Not possible..." I muttered aloud.  
It was getting harder to stay standing.  
I gritted my teeth to try to stay focused.  
*One step forward, then you can leave.*  
One foot forward.  
Eyes ahead. Trying to stay focused.  
*Good. Another step.*  
Another step forward.  
Trying to stay conscious.  
It's funny, isn't it? Trying to stay awake when all I really wanted to do was sleep.  
*Onemorestep*  
Vision blurred.  
Knees collapsing under me.  
I lose the sense of the world turning beneath me.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

He picked up a book from the shelf. It wasn't the one that he was waiting for, but it would do until that book was out.  
There was a very sickly looking girl in line in front of him. She wore a creepy plushy back-pack that seemed to stare at him.  
He thought he heard Laura's voice.  
He didn't believe it, but it sounded like it was coming from the girl in front of him.  
She was very short.  
She wore a black trench-coat that kind of reminded him of the one he found in Hell.  
She had blue and black hair.  
She looked like she was going to fall over.  
The line shuffled forward, and she seemed to be fighting to stay standing.  
Then, with very little warning, the girl collapsed.  
Everyone turned around to look.  
No one stepped close to help.  
He sighed through his nose. *I might as well...* he thought with resignation.  
He kneeled down and shook the girls' shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" *What a stupid question. She just fainted; of course she's not awake.*  
"Hey."  
He dragged her over to a bench by one of the book-shelves to get her out of the way, then picked up the books that she had dropped.  
*A book on insomnia, huh? Now I know why she collapsed.*  
Even he understood that most people really did need sleep.  
He noted that her wallet had fallen from her hand, and more than one observer was eying it greedily. He picked it up and opened it, checking for an I.D.  
*Let's see who this is...*  
He paused at the name.  
Laura L.  
"Sir, is everything all right?" Asked the cashier, some guy he didn't know.  
Johnny put the I.D. back into Her wallet. "Yeah," he replied. "My friend hasn't been getting enough sleep."  
*Friend? When was the last time I used that word while not in contempt?*  
"Okay, man. You gonna pay for her books?"  
He took a look at the prices.  
"Put 'em on my account."  
He got the books bagged and slung Laura's arm over his shoulder and dragged her to his car.  
"Not to the house."  
He wouldn't take her to the house. No.  
The park sounded like a good place.  
"To the park, then..."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

While I was under, my mind mocked me by playing the sound of His voice in my head.  
I dreamed that the skinny man was Johnny.  
I dreamed that he picked up my books for me.  
Then the dream grew distorted, and all I could remember from it was feeling like I was moving.  
That the ground beneath me was missing, for a moment.  
That I was in an enclosed space.  
Then that I was outside again.  
"Laura, wake up."  
His voice again.  
Something pushed against my shoulder.  
"Let me sleep..." I whimpered. "Please, just let me sleep..."  
"I can't until you wake up."  
I very reluctantly opened my eyes.  
The skinny man.  
Dreaming?  
"Hey," said the skinny man. "You are Laura, aren't you? It's me."  
That voice.  
"Johnny. Nice to finally meet you in person."


	9. Realistic

**Wednesday! That means another chappy! I hope you all are enjoying this!**

Two reasons why I thought I was insane:  
1: The first thing that popped into my head upon waking was 'taquitos belong in the deepest pits of Hell'  
2: The first person I see upon waking claimed to be Johnny.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Her back-pack seemed to glare at him.  
/yOu ArE sKiNnY,/ it seemed to say. /yOu NeEd To EaT mOrE iCe-CrEaM./  
Johnny ignored the bag thing and focused instead on Laura.  
She was still lying down on the park bench, only about half-awake.  
"You're Johnny," she murmured.  
"Yeah. The person you've been calling in your sleep for the past..." He thought back on it. "...hm...it's been a little over 3 months now, hasn't it?"  
She sat up shakily and he had the tiniest of urges to help her up.  
Something easily shaken off.  
"What the Hell happened to me..." she muttered.  
"You kind of blacked out in the middle of the book-store," he offered.  
She shook her head, trying to wake up more, apparently, then looked up at him. Her expression seemed both terrified and desperate. "Are you real? Are you really real?"  
This question surprised him. Yes, this was Laura's voice. But...it almost didn't sound like Laura...  
"Yeah, I'm real."  
She didn't look convinced. "Say something I don't know," she challenged.  
He saw what she was aiming for. "How do you know if that will work?" He queried. "I might lie, real or imagined."  
"Please...just do it."  
He thought for a bit. "Beethoven was born in 1770."  
"Really? Huh."  
*Now she's easy to convince...*  
She pinched herself. "Well, I'm not dreaming," she observed. "No surprise there."  
Then she reached a hand out towards him.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

I just wanted to see if he was real.  
I think he understood that.  
So when I reached out to poke him, even though I could see how very much he wanted to move away, he stood still.  
And to my happy surprise, my hand did not go through his stomach.  
Though I think it could've.  
I poked him hard enough.  
"Ah, so you are real."  
He shrugged. "I did say that."  
/nOw WhAt?/  
"Now what?" I repeated.  
Johnny stood silent for a moment.  
There. Not something from my imagination.  
I'm not asleep, so I'm not dreaming.  
"I don't know," he murmured. "That's a good question."  
More silence.  
"Um...what time is it?" I asked.  
He shrugged again. "5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, I don't know. Somewhere around then."  
I needed to get home.  
"How did we get here?"  
"I drove us here."  
I placed my hands on my knees and tipped my head to the side. "Where're my books?"  
He inclined his head towards a plastic bag next to me.  
"Oh." I crossed my legs. "I don't remember paying for them..."  
"I charged them to my account."  
"Really? How much do I owe you?"  
He waved a hand. "Wait until they bill me. Until then, you don't owe me."  
"Really?"  
"Sure. Why not?"  
"Hm. Well, thank you."  
God damn it was hard to talk to him in person.  
I still felt like crap.  
I needed a ride home.  
/AsK hIm FoR a RiDe./  
"Hey, do you think you could give me a lift?"  
He looked surprised at my question. "Eh...sure. Where do you need to go?"  
Man, he looked fidgety.  
I wasn't all that comfortable myself.  
"I need to get home, and I don't think I can walk from here."  
He looked even more fidgety.  
"Alright. Let's go, then."  
I stood up and followed him to his car. "Thanks again, Nny."  
He turned around and- well, I couldn't really tell- I think he gave me a tiny smile.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

What was he supposed to say? *Sorry, I'm a bit of a homicidal maniac, and I might kill you one day*? So far, he hadn't felt the urge to do anything, but who knows? Something could set him off...anything at all.  
But he felt like he had to say yes.  
At least the ride wasn't as strained as the conversation at the park.  
They talked about the same things they talked about on the phone, nothing really different.  
It was kind of nice, being able to talk to her face to face.  
"Right here," she cut in, pointing to an apartment building. He pulled up to the side and parked the car.  
"Thanks for the ride, Nny," she said with a smile. She opened the car and put one foot outside.  
*Well, Nny, what can you do?*  
"Wait."  
She paused. "Yeah?"  
*Okay...now what?*  
"Do you want my number so you can call me while you're awake?"  
Well, he didn't really think about that question before he asked it, did he?  
She cocked her head to the side, a quirk he was already growing used to.  
"Sure," she replied. "What is it?"  
So he gave her his number and drove off, waving good-bye as he pulled away. He felt calm and relaxed.  
A feeling almost like contentment settled in his stomach.  
*I wonder what happens next?*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

For the first time in over a month, my mind was ordered. I could think straight, my eyesight didn't blur, and I felt comfortable in my own skin again.  
And for the first time in over a month...  
I slept.


	10. A Surprise visit and a helicopter?

Incredibly skinny (kinda unhealthy lookin')  
About average height (lots taller than me, anywho)  
Black hair (really messy, but cool lookin')  
Bags under his eyes/around his eyes like some elaborate make-up (...no comment...)  
A tendency to wear dark clothing (mwahahaha)  
So.  
Those are things that describe Nny's physical appearance.  
Yep. The sure are.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

When I woke up, I still felt like crap.  
That could be crap with a 'k' as well.  
I FELT LIKE KRAP.  
{A night of sleep/no/will not ease/release/what you have been/for/going through lately/my precious little one.}  
I groaned and tossed my pillow at Littlefoot before getting out of bed.  
I dreamed of Johnny last night.  
He and I were eating taquitos in Limbo.  
How nice.  
No really, it was nice. The Limbo angels and demons had thrown us a party.

...Yes, we played limbo.  
But you know, I'm digressing again.  
Today would be a normal day. School, work, trying to get to sleep (and succeeding?) probably a conversation with Nny, etc.  
Boring except for the last part.  
So when I stepped out onto the balcony thingy of my apartment, imagine my surprise when I see one of my best buds at eye level to me.  
Hanging from a rope ladder.  
Which hung from a heli.  
Oh, she had a megaphone, too.  
"HELLO YOU!"  
My ears died a lot that day.  
"MERCEDES!" I shouted back. "THERE IS NO LANDING PLATFORM ON THE ROOF, YOU KNOW THAT, RIGHT?"  
"YEP! I JUST WANTED TO SEE YOU UP BRIGHT AND EARLY BEFORE WE FOUND A PLACE TO TOUCH DOWN!"  
"SADEE, YOU'RE A BITCH!"  
The heli began pulling away. "BYE, LAURA! SEE YOU IN A FLASH!"  
My ears really died a lot that day.  
So much for normalcy.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"So..." I began, finally recovered from my ear-death. "What brings you to my most humble abode, Sadee-goose?"  
Mercedes K., otherwise known as my prodigy, twirled the straw in her glass. "Well," she started. "I just asked Thorton if I could come visit for my birthday, and he ends up sending me in that sweet-ass helicopter over thar."  
I chuckled. "So your mom chose good, huh?"  
"Better than Ed, if that's what you're getting at."  
I nodded. "You know you could've giving me even a tiny hint of a warning," I said pointedly.  
Sadee's smile grew wide and wicked. "I knowz. But where's the fun in that? MAN, you shoulda seen the look on your face. 'twas a look most epic."  
"Uh-huh," I murmured, not really listening. "How old are you turning again, Goose?"  
"I iz be turnin' 17. Hell, you should know that."  
"I've been thinking of other things lately..."  
"What, like that Johnny guy you told me about?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

In house a house numbered 777, a man named Johnny sneezed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

I nodded. "I actually met him yesterday."  
Mercedes leaned in closer. "Well."  
I gave her a look. "'Well' what?"  
"Well: was he nice, and...was he cute?"  
I shrugged. "Yeah, he was nice. He gave me a ride home after I fell over at the book-store. Turns out, he lives pretty close, up in the 700s."  
"Dude, that's like 200 houses away."  
"Not all that much here."  
"I bet..." said Mercedes, evil grin encompassing 2/3s of her face. "I bet it's about 2 minutes away in a helicopter."  
I shrugged. "I guess, but...Oh." It took me a little, but I got what she meant. "No way, Sadee. No. Way. In Hell."  
She pouted (in the dammit way, not in the ritch bitch way). "Well you're no fun."  
I gave her a light glare. "Why are you here now, anyways? Your birthday is in three weeks."  
"I wanted to get here early."  
"Brat."  
She responded by sticking her tongue out at me.  
Ooohoho, that was a war cry if I ever heard one.  
Pillows flew that day, my friends. Pillows flew.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

His phone wrang, much to his surprise, at about 9 o'clock at night.  
He placed his Brain-freezy on the table and picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
"Hiya, Johnny."  
"Laura?"  
"Yep. What's up?"  
He shrugged out of habit. "Nothing, really."  
"Are you doing anything right now?"  
Where was she getting at? "No, why?"  
"Do you want to hang out at the park?"  
*What?*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Johnny?"  
He cleared his throat. "Eh...sure. I'll meet up with you in a few minutes."  
"Okay," she replied. "Oh, and a friend of mine is tagging along, okay? She's never been here before."  
He snorted. "Did you tell her there's not much to see?"  
"Okay, for us boon-docks people, even a crappy place like this has untold wonders."  
"Alright, alright. I just hope she's already set up for disappointment..."  
"Yeah, I know. I'll see you in a few, okay?"  
"Alright."  
"Ciao."  
And with that, they hung up.  
[Are you going on a date, Nny?]  
"Shut up, Meat. I don't care for your shit much now. Don't ruin my good mood."  
And with that, Johnny left the house to meet up with Laura.


	11. Badass Boots

**Wow, I forgot to put my little ditty last chappy...oh well. Happy 11/11, everyone!**

9:27 P.M.  
The shitty, shitty park.  
I don't know why I liked it so much...maybe because it has the best climbing trees, as hideously uncared for this place is.  
Well...hm. What a shitty, shitty place this is.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Well, ain't this place lovely."  
Sad thing is, Mercedes was only being partially sarcastic.  
But you know, I kind of agreed with her.  
"I actually really like this place a lot," I replied. "Great trees to climb, and people don't really come here a lot."  
"Not even muggers?"  
I shrugged. "Surprisingly enough, no."  
"No creepy, scary history of this place?"  
"Not really. It's just...unloved."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Nearby, Something Potentially Much Worse Than Any Mugger paused in it's footsteps.  
*Too true,* it thought to itself. *This place has never had any terror brought upon it.  
Maybe that should change.*  
The Something Potentially Much Worse Than Any Mugger shrugged and shook it's head.  
*Too soon, too early. Not yet...*  
And so that Something drifted into itself.  
For now.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Sadee-lee and I had found an excellent tree to perch in to wait for Johnny.  
It was so perfect, that when Johnny suddenly popped up behind Sadee, I only fell so that I was hanging upside-down.  
She just laughed.  
"'tis not funny, Sadee-brat."  
"Oh, but it is," she countered.  
Nny, sitting on a branch behind her, looked oddly like he was trying desperately to hold back laughter of his own.  
"Why am I still upside-down?" I asked no-one in particular.  
"Because that's the only way to get the Brain Juices flowin' for ya," offered Sadee.  
"Because you want to become a Yogi," offered Nny.  
"I like his reason better," I said. "That one just shouts at me." I righted myself.  
"I believe an introduction is in order," I continued. "Johnny, this is Mercedes K." I motioned from Johnny to Sadee. "Or as I normally refer to her, Sadee-goose."  
Then I inclined my head towards Nny. "Sadee-lee, this be Johnny."  
"Nice to meet ya," said Sadee. "Ditto," replied Nny.  
"Okay," said me, rubbing my palms together. "What shall we do now?"  
I received some blank stares.  
"You mean..." muttered Sadee, "That you brought me here and had nothing planned?"  
I crossed my arms and cocked my head to the side. "You should know me by now, Sadee. I rarely plan things out."  
And Nny just observed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

It was quite amusing seeing Laura hanging upside down from her tree-branch, clinging to it like a sloth.  
He really did have to fight back laughter.  
And Mercedes...she seemed interesting. Similar to Laura, in a way, just...hmmm...  
*She's more mature, though she's probably a few years younger.*  
Yeah, that was it.  
*I think.*  
For a few more minutes he watched the two girls bicker back and forth.  
"Hey, I have an idea," he put forward. "Why don't we just chat for a while?"  
Both girls turned to look at him.  
Then they glanced back at each other.  
Then back at him.  
And each other again.  
And once more, back at him.  
Then they smiled.  
The smiles disturbed him slightly.  
And he was already quite disturbed.  
"Or..." replied Sadee.  
"We could drag you off somewhere..." continued Laura.  
"Somewhere fun..." added Sadee.  
"Someplace cool..."  
"A place with few people..."  
"Except on the screen," finished Laura.  
*Holy Hell, did they have this rehearsed?*  
"So...you want to drag me to a movie theater?"  
They nodded vigorously.  
"How were you planning on doing that?" He said, crossing his arms. "If I'm correct in saying I'm the only one with a car, unless Mercedes parked her car more than five blocks away, then you wouldn't be dragging me anywhere."  
*It's normally the other way around, anyways.*  
"Sadee has a heli," chittered Laura.  
*A wha-?* "A helicopter?"  
The girls nodded again.  
"And how does that help you?"  
"It just does, okay?" They blurted simultaneously. Than they laughed.  
"Okay, enough pussy-footing," said Laura. "Before you ask or get more annoyed by our crap, let me say I did not plan on asking this."  
*Oh, I see where this is going...*  
"Could you come with us to the theater? There's an old film there playing."  
"You can't go by yourselves?"  
Laura cocked her head to the side again. "I haz no car."  
He smirked. "What about the 'heli'?"  
"There's no landing pad close enough," put forth Mercedes. "I should know. I checked."  
He sighed. "Alright. What's playing?"  
"A 1940's film. Arsenic and Old Lace, I think it's called."  
Okay, he could live with that."Okay, then," he said, dropping down from his branch with an air of practiced ease. Mercedes scrambled out of the tree and Laura swung down from her branch like some sort of monkey.  
*Why am I being so sociable, lately? This isn't like me at all...*  
And they followed him to his car, whispering back and forth.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"His boots are so freakin' bad-ass!" Whispered Sadee.  
"I know!" I whispered back. "It's like bad-assery in footwear form!"  
"This shall be interesting."  
"Oh, I agree."  
We followed Nny into his car (I snagged shot-gun) and a surprisingly easy conversation followed us the entire way to the movie theater.


	12. Likelihood

**Here's chappy 12 for you all! I hope you enjoy it; this one was fun to do! Chappy 13 will be up next Wednesday, and it's a doozy! I can't wait!**

Mercedes payed for the movie and snacks.  
Thorton is a very generous person.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Almost 12 A.M.  
When the movie finished up, we all went back to the park.  
"I can't believe I never watched that before," said Sadee from her preferred tree-branch perch.  
"Yeah, that was an amazing movie," I agreed. "What about you, Nny? Have you seen that movie before?"  
Johnny nodded. He had decided to remain on the ground this time, so I had to either lie on my stomach to talk to him or hang up-side down.  
I chose the former.  
"I've seen it once or twice before," he said. "It's a good film."  
"It seems like a lot of good movies were made long before I was born," I replied. "Like the original Phantom of the Opera, or The Day the Earth Stood Still. All really good movies."  
"Hey," called out Sadee. "Why do you think people never bother to watch older movies?"  
I shrugged (as best I could from my position). "I dunno. That's a good question."  
"Maybe it's because of all the special effects that newer movies have," put in Nny.  
"That could be it," I agreed.  
"Or maybe," added Sadee, "Maybe it's because people can't be bothered to look for other movies besides all of the newer crap coming out."  
"Or even both," noted Johnny.  
We sat comfortably for a while, just thinking.  
Or at least I did...oh, I don't know! I'm not a mind-reader!  
Then Mercedes let out a huge yawn.  
"Yo, Sadee, ya tired?" I joked.  
She nodded. "Yeah, a bit...long day, what with the helicopter thing and all."  
I climbed swung down from my branch. "We should prolly head back to the apartment, then."  
"Nooo..." she whined. "Too...early...for sleep..."  
"Come on," I shot back. "There's about a three hour difference between here and home. By now you would normally be asleep."  
"Poo on yo' head."  
I pointed at the ground. "Down."  
"Sigh. Fine."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Laura was kind of acting like an older sister to her friend. This reminded him of something she'd told him once...  
{["I always take care of my friends. I swear, if one ended up going anorexic, I'd shove food down their throats so they wouldn't get unhealthy. It's the least I can do for them...considering how much they've been there for me...]}  
Yeah.  
She really did seem to care a good deal about her friends.  
*Even me? Huh.*  
Johnny didn't know.  
And Mercedes didn't seem like too bad of a person. A little contradictory, he supposed, but not a bad person. She didn't make him want to rip off her head after a minute of conversation, and as for Laura...  
Well, she hadn't died yet, had she?  
"Do you two want a ride back?" he asked (hoping to ask before he was 'manipulated').  
Laura waved her hand. "Nah, we'll be fine. Thanks, though." She turned to Mercedes. "Come on, let's go."  
They waved good-bye to him, and Laura gave a tiny bow (he didn't get that a lot...nor did he understand it). "It was cool meeting you!" Yelled Mercedes.  
"See you later, Nny!" Called Laura. "Let's hang out again sometime!"  
Then, they were gone.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Something Terrible lurked in a deep, dark place. *When?* it whispered. *When?*  
All it knew was that it was much to soon.  
So, once again, it withdrew inside of itself.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

[How was your date, Nny?]  
"Don't talk to me, Meat."  
[Didn't go well? Oh, that's so sad...]  
"Shut up."  
Johnny moved into another room, one where he couldn't hear Reverend Meat's mocking tone.  
His good mood had not yet faded, and he wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Hey Laura?"  
"Yes, Sadee-lee?"  
"Do you like Johnny?"  
I paused in setting up the guest bed (couch). "Do you mean 'like' like?" She nodded.  
I thought for a bit while pulling out the fold-out bed in the couch. "I dunno," I said finally. "He's a cool guy, but I don't think I have feelings like that for him. Besides, I have other guy friends."  
"True."  
"Don't pester me too much about it though. I might dismember you in your sleep."  
"Well, isn't that a lovely thought?"  
"Meh."  
She jumped onto the bed. "Thanks for being cool about me staying here," she said.  
I sat down cross-legged next to her. "Are you kidding? It's great seeing one of my friends from back home."  
"Does it get lonely. living here by yourself?" I nodded.  
"I miss all of my friends, all the time. It's kind of freaky out here, and any familiar face or voice is sooo nice."  
"And Johnny counts as one of those, now?"  
"Yeah, a bit. By the way, what do you think of him?"  
"Well, like you said, he's a pretty cool guy, and..."  
And we chatted and chatted until we got too tired to chat anymore.  
We ended up both passing out on the guest bed.  
And laughed like lunatics when we woke up.


	13. A Bit of Birthday Fun

For the next three weeks, nothing really noteworthy happened. Sadee, Nny and I watched loads of movies at the theater, stayed up into the wee hours of the morning talking, and hung out at the super shitty park a lot.  
Then, Mercedes' birthday came along...

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"LAURAWAKEUPYOUSTOOOOOOOOGE!"  
My eyes shot open to see Sadee sitting on my stomach and poking my face.  
You see, Mercedes is a tiny little thing.  
Yet taller than me...  
ANYwho...  
"Aha, I see you are awake," she said cheekily.  
I growled and pushed her off of my stomach. "Well, I am now..." I looked at the clock.  
"Mercedes, you Bitch! It's one in the freakin' morning!"  
"Yep! I've been 17 for one whole hour now and you haven't told me 'Happy Birthday'! I am offended."  
"Fine, I'm awake..."  
"Let's go to the park and see Johnny!"  
I made a swipe at her with my pillow. "I'm not 100% lucid yet, fool!"  
She ducked and stuck her tongue out at me. "I'm 100% hyper!"  
"Gah, you bipolar idiot, calm the fuck down. Why must your mania always affect my sleep?"  
She grinned evilly at me. "Why must your sleep always affect my fun?"  
At that point I had forced myself into 60% lucidity, just enough to beat Sadee up with my awesome pillow powers.  
Too bad she has amazing pillow retaliation powers.  
It ended with her sitting on top of me and beating me mercilessly with my favourite pillow.  
"I win I win I win!" She declared hysterically.  
(Just to note, she's not usually this crazy)  
"You keep beating me..." I warned. "I will NOT call Johnny."  
She smiled triumphantly. "Oh, but I already did. He's on his way."  
*Fuck.*  
Then the doorbell rang.  
"Uh...Sadee. We're both in our jammies, and I wear boxers!"  
And in walked Johnny.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

There were two girls in their pajamas.  
One was sitting on top of the other.  
If this had been anyone other than Johnny, this would be almost considered heaven.  
For Johnny, it was quite normal. Knowing them, he had expected something like this.  
"I see you two you are getting your exercise early," he said with a smirk on his face.  
"Oh hello you," said Mercedes from her position atop Laura, a pillow smothering said sat upon girl.  
Laura suddenly rolled over and Mercedes toppled onto the floor. She placed a foot on the younger girl's back. "HAH! I win..." she muttered. Then she looked up. "Uh...hey, Nny!" She said jitterishly. "Um...I'ma gonna go get dressed now, 'kay?" She grabbed some clothes and ran into the bathroom. Johnny noted absently that her boxers had smiley faces on them.  
"LAURA, DON'T BE SO DAMN SHY!" Yelled Mercedes, chasing after her.  
Johnny felt just a tiny bit awkward and went to go sit on the couch.  
Littlefoot- Laura's toy dinosaur- stared at him.  
"UGH! DAMN YOU, SADEE-BITCH!"  
He heard some manic laughter coming from the bathroom.  
Then...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT THE HAIR NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

*Mercedes is being awefully manic tonight...* thought Johnny.  
Laura stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed, with a noteworthy lack of Mercedes'.  
"I apologize for my friend's bipolarity, and for my own," she said in an annoyed tone.  
*That explains a lot.*  
"What did you do to her?" Asked Johnny in a truely curious tone.  
"Oh, she's just washing her hair," Laura replied non-chalantly, though upon her face was pasted an evil grin.  
He glanced at her sideways. "Why...?" He asked slowly.  
Three seconds later, Mercedes walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head.  
"Laura...HOWDAREYOUPUTPINKINMYHAIRI'LLKILLYOU!" She whipped the towel off her head and slapped Laura with it. "BOOM head-shot!" She yelled, pumping her fists into the air.  
Her hair had a very slight pink tint to it.  
"Well..." began Johnny. "Happy Birthday...?"  
Mercedes looked overjoyed.  
Laura looked like she would start breathing fire.  
Johnny just looked terrified.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

*Later, at the park of shittiness...

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Sadee," I started. "Why the HELL are you still in your jammies? It's December!"  
"Hush up, I'm from Maine," replied the younger girl. "I embrace the cold!" She double fist-pounded her own chest.  
I noted that I was the only one wearing a sweater. "I feel like a Texan that went to Alaska, here..." I muttered.  
"So!" Johnny interrupted. "What's the plan today, anyway?"  
I squirriled up into my tree. "I dunno. Sadee, what's the plan?"  
She plopped onto the ground and rolled around. "I wants TAquiTOS!"  
*Wowza, I haven't been manic like that in a while. Looks like fun.*  
"Let's go to a graveyard! The big one," suggested Sadee.  
"Hmmm..." I 'hmmmed' aloud.  
Johnny spun his keys around on his finger. "Are we going, then?"  
"Yes," said Sadee. "Yes we are."  
I was then comically dragged to Johnny's car.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

We reached the graveyard at about 5:47 in the morning. It was all foggy and pretty with dew sparkling on the grass and the trees.  
Then we smelled smoke.  
And not the good kind.  
"Hey, you guys smell that?" I asked. "Yeah," replied Sadee. "It's gross; it smells like Ed."  
"I smell it, too..." muttered Johnny.  
Somebody was smoking at the wonderous graveyard.  
None of us three wanted to be around that scent, and at least two of us have negative associations with the smell of cigarettes.  
I think Sadee had a flash-back of her bio-dad, because she looked really morose for a long moment.  
And there were snide little whispers coming from the direction of the smell.  
"Omigod, is that girl nuts?"  
"I know; she's not wearing ANY make-up!"  
"What about that fat chick? UGH! So disgusting. She's got to weigh at least 116 pounds!"  
We all felt the huge desire to leave.  
"And that guy! What the HELL is he wearing?"  
"They all looks soooo stupid; what were they thinking, coming here?"  
"Weirdoes like that don't belong in a sacred place like this."  
"I KNOW, right?"  
I saw Sadee's eye twitch.  
"Uh, Nny?" I began, grabbing her arm, "Let's get out of here before we're all overcome by the urge to put those girls through a blender, one peice at a time."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Johnny liked that discription.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Alright," he agreed. I could tell that he was getting pushed over the edge EVER so slightly.  
Sadee looked even more pissed.  
I hurridly dragged her to the car.  
Johnny seemed to hesitate for a moment, then followed us.  
"Let's go get those taquitos, eh?" I said.  
*Killkillkillkillkillkill.*  
I think that that was going through all our minds right then.  
"Can I punch one of them at least once?" Pouted Sadee.  
"NOT...now," I replied. "Though that would be funny as shit.*  
"True," agreed Nny. "Maybe we should just...set her loose on them?"  
"Oooh, I like that," she said. "See, I LIKE Johnny's idea." She smiled up at me. "So, can I? Huh? Huh?"  
"NO," I said. "Let's just go get taquitos or something."  
"YOUSTOOOOOGE!" She cried. "I- huh, fine...let's get us some taquitos, then. It's mornin' and I'm hungry."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Taquitos were bought.  
Sadee described the immense pain she would put those asses through. And how.  
I laughed histerically.  
Johnny looked thoughtful.  
The taquitos were yummy.  
The rest of the day we just sort of hung out and chatted. At about 5 we went to a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  
We all laughed SO majorly.  
Especially at the Sweet Transvestite song.  
That song was majorly hilarious.  
Majorly.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

We were all in a much better mood by the time we deemed it time to return to the apartment (it was about 8 o'clock)  
I made supper and pulled out Sadee's cake from a hidden cooler.  
She sqeaked happily.  
Well, it was a black and purple cake.  
It had a butterfly iced into it (blue and purple) that I'd done myself.  
I'm such a show off.  
"Can I haz a peice?" Asked Sadee almost cutely.  
"Foolish girl," I chided. "It's your cake!"  
"Ohoooohuaaaa!"  
She was obviously still manic.  
So, yeah, we had a fun day.  
Nny gave Sadee some comic strips of his- something called Happy Noodle Boy.  
She enjoyed those greatly.  
I gave her a CD of famous violin players.  
When I handed it to her, I think she might've died of happiness.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Nny left at about 11 pm. That's nearly 24 hours of time spent with us...  
We had fun, though.  
"Time for sleep, Sadee," I said after he left.  
"But...not tired..." she mumbled.  
"SLEEP. I need sleep, too, ya know."  
"Pooh on yo' head."  
"I sense a recurring theme, here."  
And we once again chatted until we were all chatted out...  
and simply passed out on the floor.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Johnny had fun.  
He enjoyed spending time with Mercedes and Laura.  
He didn't want to go directly home.  
He went to the graveyard.  
The annoying ones were there again.  
Now he knew their faces.


	14. Idle Opinions

**Hiya, peoples! Happy Thanksgiving (if you live in the states). If not, happy Thursday! Heres Chappy 14!**

Johnny hadn't talked to Laura in a long time.  
Johnny hadn't killed anyone in a long time.  
Johnny was bored.  
Boredom is never a good thing for a homicidal maniac.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

It'd been a week since I talked to Johnny; a week since Sadee went home.  
I'd been sick over Christmas...dammit.  
I HATED being sick.  
My mind felt pained constantly.  
/yOu ShOuLd HaVe SoMe IcE-cReAm./  
Firo was talking to me again.  
{Precious little one/speak/ let me help/to/I love my little one/him/precious little one/before he/where does it/ hurts/ hurt?}  
"I don't know right now, LF," I replied. "I feel sick, I'll be better soon."  
/YoU'vE nEvEr BeEn SiCk FoR sO lOnG, tHoUgH,/ commented Firo. /iT's BeEn A wHoLe WeEk./  
"I know. Fuuuuck..."  
I rolled over on my bed. "I bet it's cuz I slept on the floor..."  
/HeE-hEe./  
"Firo..."  
{Listen not/he will/to the voices of disquiet/not hurt/ they will only/you/ confuse you more/if you speak/if you do.}  
"I only want quiet right now."  
I wanted to talk to Johnny very badly.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The Something squirmed and writhed. It's time was coming.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

They were dead.  
Oh so beautifully dead.  
Well, all but one.  
"You fuckin' faggot!" It screamed. "Let me the fuck outta here!"  
Johnny paced in front of it. "Why?" He asked. "To let you out into the world again? To do what? Insult more good people?" He took a step closer to it, a knife in both hands.  
"Me, I can understand the critisism. Almost. But my..." He hesitated over the word. "...my friends, well. That cannot be allowed."  
"FUCK YOU!"  
"Hm. Intelligent comeback. Maybe I'll cut out your tongue first."  
It gave out an enraged scream. "THOSE FUCKIN' WHORES OF YOURS? WHEN I GET DOWN FROM HERE, I'LL FUCKIN' KICK YOUR-AUGHEAAAAA!"  
Blood sprayed everywhere as Johnny slashed out it's exposed tongue.  
"What the FUCK did I say?" He yelled. "NEVER talk shit about my...friends."  
He was very angry now.  
"You'll never say a fuckin' word again, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"  
It only gave out a pained howl.  
"I didn't think so."  
He pulled a switch somewhere, and gears whirred.  
Johnny watched silently as it was torn to shreds in front of him.  
The last of the offenders were dead.  
Though he felt no remorse, he also felt no satisfaction.  
*Laura would run from you.*  
She probably would.  
"Fuck..."  
He walked upstairs to get cleaned off.


	15. China Teaset

**Hiya, everyone! New chappy up today! I hope you all enjoy it!**

Johnny was walking down the hall to Laura's apartment.  
Number 49.  
When he reached up to ring the doorbell, he realized that the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and stuck his head inside.  
It was pitch black within.  
"Hello?" He called out. His voice echoed softly from the walls.  
He was just about to step back out when he heard a faint giggling.  
He stepped fully inside and flipped a light switch.  
No reaction.  
"Hello? Laura?"  
There was another little giggle.  
He began walking towards the source of the noise. "Laura, is that you?"  
The giggling stopped, only to be replaced by soft little whispers.  
Suddenly, the lights blinked on.  
Johnny wished they hadn't.  
In front of him, sitting at her kitchen table, was Laura, dressed up like some gothic doll. On top of the table was an ornate china tea-set, a stench emanating from it. Something he found creepily familiar.  
Sitting in chairs next to her were her creepy little back-pack thing and her tie-dye dinosaur.  
They were all tied by the ankles to their chairs.  
Laura giggled when she saw him. "Hello, Johnny, would you like some tea?" She asked, creepy smile pasted on her face. She took a sip from one of the cups and some of the tea spilled out of the corner of her mouth. It was red.  
It looked a lot like blood.  
"Oopsie!" She cried. "I'm such a mess! What will I do with myself?" She smiled a full-toothed grin at him, teeth stained red.  
"Won't you join us, Nny?"  
Her face seemed to grow in his vision, the blood a more and more vibrant red.  
/cOmE oN, jOhNnY,/ said the back-pack thing. /wE hAvE iCe-CrEaM!/  
"All the ice-cream you could ever need!" Agreed Laura.  
{The precious little one/ don't fall/ my sweet little girl/ she needs safety/ will you be saved?/ are you one/ She may save/ to save her/save you?}  
The dinosaur's voice grew loud in his head.  
{Save her/you are/she is broken/broken/you need to help/she can fix/fix her/you.}  
He closed his eyes and covered his ears, trying to block out the chatter.  
Then he opened them.  
He was lying on the floor of his house.  
"What the FUCK was that?"  
[Did you have a nice sleep, Nny?] Mocked Reverend Meat. [Did you have pleasant dreams?]  
Johnny grabbed a piece of wood and threw it at the doll.  
He missed.  
Johnny normally had problems with differentiating reality from his dreams.  
But he wasn't so far gone as to believe that that had been real.  
He just couldn't shake off the ring of truth the dream had to it.  
*What did the dinosaur mean by broken? And what did it mean by fixing each-other?*  
He shook his head. *Too fucking confusing...*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

I opened my eyes. Another weird dream. Something to do with Firo disecting- no, I was alive- vivisecting me.  
It was not fun.  
He took out my brain and told me that I didn't deserve such a pretty little brain.  
Littlefoot and Johnny tried to get it back, but Firo teleported away with it to some unknown location. They had turned and shrugged at me, like saying 'what can ya do?'  
I hadn't had a nightmare in over 3 years.  
It was rather unsettling.  
/yOu NeEd IcE-cReAm./  
I glared at Firo. "No talking for you. You stole my brain, you little bitch.  
/WhAt?/  
"You heard me."  
I got out of bed. The clock read 3 AM.  
"Maybe I should call Johnny..." I mumbled. "He's always awake."  
I dialed his number and waited for him to answer.  
"Hello Laura," I heard him say. He sounded tired-well, more so than usual.  
"Hiya, Johnny. You sound really tired right now."  
"Yeah...I just woke up on the floor."  
This was interesting. "You slept?"  
"Yeah, and I had a really fucked up dream, too."  
I chittered. "You're not the only one. I dreamed that Firo stole my brain."  
"...really...?"  
We exchanged our nightmares and contemplated the meanings.  
We both came up with nothing.  
Except that nightmares really sucked.

**Poor Laura and Johnny...I love writing nightmares into the story too much. Hee hee...**


	16. Up beat Jazz

**! Thisssss is chappy 16! I hope you like it! Remember, I be postin' the next chappy tomorrow!**

Blood. Everywhere. On the walls. On the floor. On the ceiling in places.  
On me.  
I wore a midnight blue dress.  
To match my hair, or something.  
Johnny wore a deadly smile on his face.  
It suited him.  
Opening my eyes and seeing the sun in my window.  
*My dreams are getting weirder and weirder...*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

For a time, up-beat jazz was the only thing I could listen to without feeling the urge to gauge my ears out.  
Lovely mental image, eh?

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"It's really weird." I took a sip of my strawberry Fiz-Wiz and looked up at Johnny.  
He had a half-bored, half-thoughtful look on his face.  
"There's been a lot of that going around," he said quietly.  
"What? A rise in jazz listeners?"  
He shook his head. "A rise in weirdness."  
I cocked my head to the side. "You think so?"  
He nodded. "Yeah, I really do."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

This one. It had called him 'faggot'.  
"FUCK MAN, I WAS ONLY JOKING!"  
Noise.  
Johnny picked up the nearest tool. A hand saw.  
"And making cruel jokes, trying to be 'cool' in front of your 'friends'." Johnny made a face. "There's something wrong with that."  
"THERE'S SOMETHING FUCKING WRONG WITH YOU, YOU FUCKIN' PSYCHO!"  
Johnny smirked. "I acknowledged that a long time ago."  
"FUCK MAN, JUST LET M-"  
SLASCK The hand saw parted the flesh of it's throat with ease.  
Blood sprayed everywhere.  
"No more noise from you."  
Now this one. It had egged his car.  
Like his car wasn't crappy enough already.  
It did not make a sound. Johnny had gagged this one hours ago. It's eyes darted about in fear.  
"Do you know how long it takes to clean up a car after an egging?"  
It shook it's head, tears streaming down it's face.  
Johnny put the hand-saw back on the work table.  
"It took me the better part of the day," he continued. "And that was with help." And when Johnny says something like 'the better part of the day', well...  
He picked up a small knife and walked back over to it.  
"It was a real pain in the ass, you know." He turned his back to it.  
And jabbed the knife into it's throat.  
Blood fountained out around the blade as the egger tried to let out a scream.  
Without success.  
Johnny turned to look at the third thing chained to the wall.  
Not only had it mocked his hair (and insinuated something about his parents) but it had mocked and taunted Laura enough that (after her display of immense anger) she had cried. She had still looked mighty pissed off (maybe even because of crying) but Johnny had learned that Laura very rarely cried. He had never seen her cry.  
Except when watching Edward Scissorhands.  
Well, this was unforgivable.  
It glared at him. Like the egger, this one was also gagged. Johnny removed the gag.  
He had some questions for this thing.  
"Why?" He asked it. "Why do you get such pleasure in mocking those who have done you no wrong?"  
It smirked at him. "Because some people are just asking for it," it replied. "Some little bitches just scream 'fuck with my head'. Haven't you ever experienced that feeling before?"  
Johnny held the knife to it's neck. "No, I've never experienced that sick feeling."  
It's smirk grew. "Not once, not for a single person?"  
Johnny slipped the blade into this mockery of a human's stomach.  
It only winced.  
"Not once." He twisted the blade and it made a pained grunt. "Not for a single person."  
It coughed out blood. "L-liar," it wheezed. "I d-don't fuckin' b-believe you."  
Johnny inched the blade up. "I shit you not."  
A line he'd picked up from Mercedes.  
It glared at him. "Y-you're not fuckin' se-serious..."  
Johnny glared back "I'm fuckin' serious." He yanked the knife to the side and it SCREAMED.  
Blood sprayed everywhere.  
Johnny grew sick of the noise.  
"Enough from you."  
He pulled out the knife and slipped it expertly between it's ribs...  
...right to the heart.  
It stopped screaming.  
Silence.  
Johnny sighed and left the knife in the thing's body. He'd clean up the work-place later.  
He slowly walked up the stairs.  
[Having fun, Nny?]  
He ignored Meat, something he was getting better and better at doing lately.  
Instead, he walked over to a newly stretched canvas. He had already painted an undercoating of smokey blue on it, but nothing else.  
He was afraid that this would end up like the last canvas.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

I caught myself thinking about how pissed off I was at that one guy.  
He'd called me a bitch, a little slut, mocked my hair, called my mum a whore, and anyone who befriended me easily paid off little bitches.  
I'd never seen him before.  
He'd also mocked Johnny in a similar fashion.  
Calling him a goth bastard.  
Mocking his choice in friends.  
Asking how much I cost from him.  
I day-dreamed about slicing him up from the inside.  
Questioning him for the reasons of mocking not only me but one of my only friends here.  
I imagined the screams.  
The cries of agony.  
Pleading for me to stop.  
Begging for forgiveness.  
I saw myself laughing at his idiocy.  
His pain.  
Smiling as his blood ran down my arms, warm and red, smelling of iron.  
/a BlOoD fLaVoUrEd IcE-cReAm./  
I giggled. That actually sounded yummy.  
But I only day-dreamed.  
He wasn't worth it.  
Few people like that are.


	17. Crime and Punishment

**Hey, people! Happy Thursday, eh? Oh my, this is a short chappy. Sorry about that. Worry not! All chappies after this one are longer! Enjoy!**

{He opens his eyes/ a sharp knife within/ to reveal the disguise/ piercing deep into the skin/ a light so bright to burn/ a cut so deep inside/ he doesn't know where to turn/ scream as you run and cry/ a revelation of the dark/ a pain so deep and fatal/ slowly tears him apart/ speak now if able.}  
"Littlefoot, you're making less sense than normal," I muttered.  
/hE dOeSn'T eAt EnOuGh IcE-cReAm,/ said Firo.  
"Silencio, neither one of you eat anything," I said pointedly.  
/MeAnY, yOu DoN't HaVe To ReMiNd Me./  
7 AM. I should've been asleep. I'd fallen back into my old pattern.  
Speak to Johnny at around 2 in the morning.  
Hang up at around 6:30.  
Relax as the sleeplessness continues to keep my eyes open.  
And the conversations with my toys.  
"It's getting old..."  
/WhAt Is?/  
"The whole not sleeping thing..."  
{My poor little one/let you rest my dear/ sleep is hard to come by/ or it shall come/ speak to him by day/ for you/ sleep by night.}  
"I have no idea what you're talking about, LF."  
I no longer understood the creature that I've had for 19 odd years.  
It was slightly disconcerting.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

This offender was strapped to the floor.  
One or two levels down.  
There was a convenient little hole in each floor that let you see it.  
Johnny lifted the typewriter up. It was heavy as Hell.  
*And I don't really use it anymore.*  
What had this one done, you ask? Well, first it had thrown a Brain-Freezy cup at Johnny, apparently on a dare.  
Then it had tried to pants Laura.  
Also apparently on a dare.  
This was both disturbing and unacceptable.  
Johnny dropped the typewriter.  
Down, down, down it fell, landing with a satisfying scrunsh on the offender's head. Bits of skull and grey-matter washed out onto the floor, effectively painting the floor in red and grey.  
A thick coating.  
The typewriter was broken.  
That was a saddening thought.  
Johnny walked upstairs again.  
The grayed canvas was still in it's corner, a fresh palette sitting on a table beside it. He walked over to it and lifted up a paintbrush.  
Chose a colour; a nice, deep blue.  
Painted a smooth line over the canvas, a river in a deep fog.  
Rinsed the brush. Chose another colour.  
White this time.  
Froth on the waves of the river.  
Rinse.  
Another colour. Black.  
Smoke.  
Green.  
Lavender.  
Indigo.  
Brown.  
Others.  
And he kept on painting.  
Much to his surprise.

**Um...for those of you that haven't figured it out: Littlefoot speaks two dialogs simultaneously. Just so you all know.**


	18. Unexpected Call

**Here's chappy 18! I hope you all like it!**

11 PM.  
The phone rings.  
I'm having more and more trouble sleeping.  
I answer the phone.  
"...what?"  
"Well, that's not exactly the greeting I was expecting."  
That voice.  
"Laura?"  
Well, I haven't heard her voice in a long time.  
"Lace?" I said shakily. "Lacey, is that you?"  
"Oh good, she recognizes me. I feel special," replied Lacey in that superior/sarcastic tone I know so well. "What's up, home-slice? How's the home away from home?"  
I found a smile was slowly inching it's way over my face. "Lace! What's up? I haven't heard from you in ages!"  
Just so you know, Lacey A. is one of my bestest, bestest friends. I associate her with the Devil in a pin-striped suit.  
She was also the only one able to control me in elementary/middle school.  
She still kinda is.  
"Laura, what number is your apartment again?"  
Erm...  
"Number 49...why?"  
"Oh, no reason. Hey, can I call you back in say...five minutes?"  
"Uh, sure..."  
Then she hung up.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

*Five minutes later*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

*knock knock*  
I opened the door.  
To see Lacey.  
My jaw dropped to the ground.  
"Uh...Lace? What are you doing here...?"  
She stepped inside and grinned evilly at me. "Well, you must be tired or sick or something to not have expected this," she replied.  
Lacey is similar to Mercedes and I.  
Dark clothing, likes dying her hair, air of being awesomely creepy.  
I learned much from her.  
"This place is surprisingly tidy," she said as she eyed my apartment. "Knowing you I'd expected it to be some sort of disaster zone."  
I laughed. "Well, everyplace in here is neat except the bedroom."  
She rolled her eyes. "I guess things really don't change all that much. SO." She plopped down on the couch. "I've been conversing with Mercedes."  
"Yeah...?"  
She smirked and laced (haha) her fingers together beneath her chin. "Who is this 'Johnny' that I hear so much about?"  
Uh oh.  
I sat down on the floor. "Damn you and your information network..."  
She shrugged and smirked again. "Hey, it is what it is." She leaned forward. "Now spill."  
And yes, I 'spilled'.  
Otherwise Lacey would have hit me. She does that sometimes.  
*Bestest, bestest friend.  
"You've been leading one hell of a crazy life lately," she said when I was done.  
"Why so surprised?" I asked. "You'd think a person such as myself would have a crazy life as norm."  
"No, your life has always been normal," she replied. "It's you that's crazy."  
I nodded. "Tru-hey, what are you doing here, anyways? I mean, seriously."  
She crossed her arms and pouted. "What, I'm not allowed to visit an old friend that I haven't seen in what, nearly two years now?"  
"C'mon, you didn't cross the country just to come see me."  
"Hey, aren't I supposed to be your papa? I heard you found a man and I've come to scare him shitless."  
(A little joke here: I consider Lacey more of a 'father' then my bio-dad or my step-dad. Mostly because she likes to interrogate the guys I hang with.)  
I sighed. "Lace, I don't like him like that..."  
She tutted. "That's not what I heard..." she sang. "From what I heard from Sadee, whenever you guys hung out...hmm...how'd she put it again...she said you acted the same way you used to act around Jordan."  
My face got warm. "And," she continued, "You and I both know that she doesn't tend to exaggerate."  
"I reject this reality that you seem to be living in," I muttered. "Besides, Johnny and Jordan have very little in common."  
"I think you're in denial."  
"You think too much."  
Lacey smiled then. Not the 'oh, how funny' smile, but a smile that I've come to know as the 'you shall have pain' smile. "Would you say that again?" She asked in a rather scary tone.  
(I am terrified of Lace sometimes...for good reason.)  
"Um...no?"  
"Good..." Her smile grew and became slightly more genuine. "I still want to meet this guy, no matter how much you say you don't like him 'that way.' He sounds like a very interesting person."  
"Eh..."  
Too much action.  
"Um, Lace? Where are you staying?"  
Her smile fell away very quickly. "This little roach motel thing..." She shuddered. "A literal roach motel..."  
Well, that wasn't very nice. "Why don't you come stay here? I like having company."  
She jumped up suddenly and pointed at the ceiling. "I shall get my things!" Then she dashed out.  
Leaving me with the oddest sensation.  
Something like realizing that I'd been manipulated.  
Ah well.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The more it waited, the more impatient it got.  
What was it looking for, anyways?  
That Something.  
It was so hungry it was nearly starved.  
Not by the way of food or digestion, just...  
Oh, but it was hungry...


	19. Mr Samsa and Flying Pans

**Hey everyone! Chappy 19 is up! Enjoy!**

"Lacey, there is a cockroach on one of your bags."  
"Why yes. Yes there is."  
"What are you going to do?"  
"I'm gonna kill it. Gimme your shoe."  
"No."  
"Gimme something to kill it with."  
I handed her the frying pan. "Here. I don't use this one."  
She eyed it warily. "Why did you...?"  
"They work better than fly-swatters."  
"Ah..." She nodded and hefted the pan over her shoulder. "Trust me, big little bug," she began. "This is gonna hurt you a hell of a lot more than it's gonna hurt me."  
**braaaaang** "Did I get it?" She asked, glancing about here cautiously.  
_*scuttlescuttlescuttle*_  
I ran into the kitchen and got another frying pan. Bigger than the last one.  
"Let me guess," drawled Lacey. "You don't use that one, either."  
"It was a set."  
"Do you use any of them?"  
I stepped towards the roach. I could of sworn it was laughing. "What does it look like I'm doing? These things are being used." I swung.  
**braaaaang** "Iheardno*scrunch*whereisit?" I hissed. Lacey pointed at my feet and I let out a very un-Lauraish shriek of girly fear.  
Then I ran to the phone.  
"Where the hell are you going? It's not dead yet!"  
"'tis be my last resort!"  
"What, a larger frying pan? An exterminator?"  
I shook my head and dialed the phone. "No, the only guy friend I have in this god-forsaken town!"  
"The guy I need to poke with my question stick?"  
I face-palmed. "You...brought it with you..."  
"DUH!"  
*"Hello?"*  
"H-hey, Johnny," I said. "Hey, do you mind doing me a small favour...?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"You needed me...to kill a roach."  
They nodded. Laura and...what was the other one's name again? Johnny wasn't quite sure.  
He sighed. At least this wasn't a regular thing; the favours, that is.  
"It's in there," said Laura, pointing toward the living room.  
"And neither one of you, with two frying pans the size of frisbees, were able to kill it."  
The friend snorted. "It's not like we haven't tried or anything. The little bastard just won't die."  
_*Sounds like Mr. Samsa...*_  
He walked towards the room of the roach.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

*The following scene had to be removed from the storyline, as I (Laura) was laughing too hard to remember what happened in detail. All I remember was Johnny swore A LOT, and Lacey laughed just as hard as I did. And for some reason I had to get a new frying pan.*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

My face hurt majorly, and my lungs felt as though I had run a fun twenty miles. Johnny looked like he had run an un-fun fifty.  
"Is it dead?" I giggled.  
He let out an aggravated sigh. "If it isn't we are all going to pretend that it is."  
Lacey laughed and stuck out her hand. "Hey, I'm Lacey," she said by way of introduction. Johnny just stared at her hand like it was something suspicious that needed to be stared at.  
"...Johnny..." he replied, not returning the hand-shake. Or the attempted hand-shake.  
Hmmm...Johnny seemed to be in a bad mood. This needed some rectification.  
"I have Fiz-wiz in the fridge, Johnny. Want one?"  
"What is 'fiz-wiz?" Asked Lacey.  
Now I was staring at Lacey as well.  
"It's delicousness in a bottle," I replied. "You should have one, too..."  
So I grabbed the deliciousness in a bottle and we sat down in the (somewhat battle-scarred) living room. I sat on the floor again, Lacey jumped onto the couch, and Johnny, looking slightly uncomfortable, remained standing. "Soooo..." I began. "Erm...Johnny! You told me the other day you're making progress on that painting! How's it coming along?"  
"You paint too?" Asked Lacey.  
Johnny nodded. "When I can...It's coming along alright. I haven't destroyed it yet."  
"Well, that's always a good thing..." I said.  
_*Lacey hasn't brought out the stick yet. This is looking good so far...*_  
"Do you paint for a living?" She asked suddenly. "What do you do?"  
_*Dammit. Here comes the question stick...*_  
"No, I do not paint for a living," answered Johnny shortly.  
_*This ain't gonna be pretty...*_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Something breathed in...and slowly breathed out. There were two in that apartment once again, a different other girl though.  
It was quite interesting, actually. It would make what it wanted to do much more entertaining.  
With the addition of that third...or was it that fourth? Something hadn't truly been keeping track. Bad Something! Bad, bad, bad! What was it here for if it weren't keeping the number of those involved in check? It made not an iota of sense.  
The hunger was still there, unabated and roaring with anger.  
Sick of waiting. Tired of simply watching.  
It was growing restless. The appendages were rustling. The digits were twitching. Muscles aching from what may have been considered under use.  
It needed to move.  
It needed to move very, very soon.


	20. Question Stick

**! Chappy 20? Yes...yesssss...enjoy this chappy! Enjoy it!**

"I do comic-strips."  
"Oh, that's neat!"  
I let out a sigh of relief. The tension seemed to be dissipating into the air. Then Lacey turned to look at me. "Oh, I forgot to mention...Sadee is coming tomorrow."  
I was in the process of tilting my head to the side, then my brains fully understood what her words were. An audible crack filled the room.  
It hurt, too.  
Trying to right my head, I ended up falling backwards. "She. Was. Just. Here."  
"She wants to come here for college."  
"What, this shitty little town?" Asked Johnny incredulously.  
Lacey shrugged. "Hey, she wants to come here. She even payed for my trip." Then she pouted. "I wanted to go on the private jet..."  
"She's...taking the jet," I repeated, sitting up.  
"Yep. Apparently, the helicopter Thorton let her use...kind of crashed."  
"Why now..it's mid-semester..."  
"I dunno, ask her."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

He watched the girls bicker back and forth. For some reason, Lacey seemed to intimidate Laura. Johnny could not yet understand why. She seemed irritating at first, then she became almost more tolerable than Laura.  
Granted, that wasn't too difficult to accomplish.  
He found himself thinking about the painting back at his house. He'd put on so many layers, so many colours, and yet he still felt that it was unfinished. And it was odd. The design was off; he'd never painted anything quite like it. It looked familiar, yet he was sure he'd never been to a place like that depicted in the painting. For one, it was a little to fantastical, something from out of a stereotypical dream. Something simultaneously abstract and concrete.  
It was unnerving, almost.  
Then he realized the girls had gone quiet and were both staring at him.  
Well, that was quite unnerving.  
"What?" he stated.  
"You were mumbling something about purple skies and rivers and stuff," said Laura.  
"Is that what your painting is?" Asked Lacey. She seemed to be the perceptive one.  
"Kind of..." he replied. "I'm not sure, really; it's not finished yet."  
"I'd really like to see it sometime," murmured Laura, almost too quiet to hear.  
She was odd; she could be too loud one second, then go into a quiet little mouse mode the next.  
Johnny really wanted to show her, too. Being an artist unafraid to share her opinion, she might be able to help him get over his little road block.  
But he didn't think it was all too safe to bring her There.  
There was too much that she could see and fear. Too many things that could go wrong.  
"Yeah, I kind of want to see it, too," said Lacey. "Sadee would prolly wanna see it, too," added Laura.  
That gave Johnny an idea. Something reminded him...that old saying: There's strength in numbers,.  
Maybe he could let them see...Just for a little bit.  
"You three could come over tomorrow, maybe," he found himself saying. "It's too big to carry, even with a car. Plus, I used oil paints."  
Laura nodded, but Lacey looked a little confused. "Oils take forever to dry," Laura informed her.  
"Ah."  
"That sounds like a good idea, anywho," said Laura.  
Johnny nodded in agreement, but he still had a few misgivings.  
_Let's just hope nothing terribly terrible happens..._

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

So we chatted for a good couple of hours, Lacey wielding her pretend question-stick with ease, asking question without tensioning up the air again.  
She's good at that.  
I actually learned a bit about Johnny: like how he thinks it's funny if a person gets abducted by aliens (if it really happens) and has a phobia of aliens abducting him.  
An interesting tid-bit.  
Somewhen around 8:30, Johnny left and I realized I was a tad hungry, so I ordered pizza.  
It was yummy.  
Afterwards, a thought suddenly occurred to me. "Lace...when is Sadee supposed to be here again?"  
She shrugged. "I dunno; she said anytime between midnight tonight and noon tomorrow."  
"Our time or her time?"  
She shrugged again. "She didn't say."  
We heard a plane fly overhead.  
"Where is she supposed to be staying...?" I asked.  
"I have no idea."  
I sighed. "You're supposed to beat the answers out of people, Lace..."  
She laughed. "The thought hadn't occurred to me then, but I'll be sure to do that next time."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

*One hour later...*

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

*knock-knock*  
I got up from my cushy chair. "I sure am popular tonight..." I muttered.  
I opened the door...  
and fell over onto my back.  
Curled up like some sort of spider.  
The two girls out in the hallway laughed.  
"Well, that was amusing," said the taller, blonde-ish girl standing behind Mercedes. She stuck out a hand to help me up. "This reminds me of when you and your brother came over on my birthday," she said as she pulled my up.  
Then, I let out a squeal.  
And uber-glomped her.  
"Well, I take it you're both surprised _and_ happy," commented Mercedes. "Laura...you're...can't breath..."  
I quickly let go of one of my bestest, bestest friends. Lacey walked over. "Leah! Hey! I didn't know _you_ were coming, too!"  
Leah B.  
As opposite from me, Lacey, and Mercedes as you can get without making her a cheer-leader.  
"Well," I said with a smile on my face. "Looks like the Three Ls have finally reunited."  
For the first time in 4 years.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

There was another one there. ANOTHER ONE.  
How many damn people was that NOW?  
Five, he thought. Something grumbled. He was not pleased.  
The creature that ate at his soul, on the other hand, was very pleased.  
It said to him, _*The more, the merrier!*_  
He didn't quite understand what the thing inside him wanted.  
Something was uncertain. He had signed himself into this without quite understanding what it would entail.  
The creature within him writhed and squirmed.  
It was growing ever impatient.  
Sometimes he let it take over. He enjoyed the escape from himself, the reprieve from reality, the quiet he gained for himself.  
Something would have to reveal himself soon, though.  
Otherwise, the creature, the monster, within in him would take over forever.  
And he would be no more.


	21. A Bit of a Realization

**Heya! I've decided to post a chappy today as a Christmas present. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Johnny: But it has nothing to do with Christmas, you know.**

**Batt: Of course not! I'm a Hallowe'en kinda girl!**

**Johnny: *Sigh...***

**Enjoy your German wine! I know I did!**

Johnny leaned against his door and sighed. Why did he agree to allowing them over? It was true that he wanted an honest opinion on his painting, but...  
Meat sniggered in his corner. "You look like you're having some problems deciding something, huh, Johnny?"  
Johnny walked past the burger-boy thing, doing his best to ignore him. He stepped in front of the painting and just stared at it. There was just something about it that seemed very familiar...he couldn't put his finger on it...  
The canvas was relatively large, about 70"X34". Painted on it was...well, it looked like a mountain river scene just after sunset, coloured silver and blue and deep greens, a touch of purple here, some blue-near-black there...  
Johnny picked up his palette.  
Just a bit more white here...  
Maybe some tan...no, a light brown here, for the riverbanks...  
A black stone in the river, right here...maybe a little bit of a sand-bank, too.  
All that work being put into it, and Johnny _still_ felt that it wasn't even close to finished.  
But it was getting steadily closer.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"Rere-tama, where are you and Sadee gonna stay?"  
Leah gave Mercedes a look. "I was under the impression that Mercedes had already talked to you about staying here," she said.  
I sighed. "No, no she did not." I also gave Mercedes a look. "Why ever would Leah think this, Sadee?"  
She fidgeted. "Well, uh...I lied, okay?"  
I stepped further inside the apartment. "Well, you might as well come in," I said. They stepped inside and I closed the door. "But I only have one other spare place to sleep. Leah, you take it."  
"Wha-?" Sputtered Sadee. "But why-?"  
"A few reasons," I cut it. "One: you never called ahead. Two: You don't seem to sleep all that much anyways. Three: As of right now, Leah is more deserving. And Four: I see that you have a perfectly good sleeping-bag, so you must have anticipated this if you brought it."  
Sadee smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I kinda did."  
We walked into the living-room where Leah and Lacey were chit-chatting and catching up with each-other.  
"I still have that drawing you made for me for my birthday," Lacey was saying.  
"Really? I remember that! My art was so bad back then..." murmured Leah.  
I almost wacked her. "Your art has never been bad," I admonished. "Not as long as I've known you."  
She stared at me. "That's your opinion," she said. "As the artist of my work, I see that artwork as suck-ish."  
I nodded and sat on the floor again. "I suppose you're right. I mean, even when I'm content with how my work has turned out, I still end up saying I don't like it in whole or that it sucks."  
"Neither one of you have sucky art!" Sadee commented. "Now, _my_ artwork _really_ sucks."  
"NONE OF YOU HAVE SUCKY ART SO SHUT UP!" Yelled Lacey. "Sheesh. It's like you guys are in some kind of competition over who's artwork sucks more! It's stupid!"  
Leah, Sadee and I stared at each-other, then we all burst out laughing.  
We all continued to chatter back and forth for almost the whole night, then we all went to bed. Even Mercedes.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The next day, Mercedes, Lacey and I walked to the park to meet up with Johnny. Leah had actually had a reason other than seeing me to come here, so she left a little while before we did. I gave her a spare key in case she got back before we did.  
Johnny was pulling his car up to the side of the road just as we got to the park. "Hey Johnny!" Called Mercedes. "What's up?"  
He got out of the car and chatted with Sadee for a bit. I sat under a tree, not really paying attention. I looked up at the overcast sky and just thought about the clouds. The light of the sun penetrated the thick cover in some places, casting shadows at the corners of my vision. I just stayed there for maybe five minutes, then Lacey called my name. "Come on, Laura." I obediently jumped up and walked over. "We going already?" I asked. She nodded. "Okays..."  
"Are you alright?" She asked as we walked over to Johnny's car. "You seem really out of it."  
"I'd expect you would be happy when I decide to stay quiet," I murmured.  
"I know, it's weird, but it kinda creeps me out when you're _this_ quiet. It's not like you."  
I shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I'm just a little tired."  
Since Mercedes had snagged shotgun behind my back, Lacey and I took the back seat. I just sort of dozed off during the drive while the others talked back and forth. Every so often, one of them would comment on my quietness and I would grunt or mumble a reply, but other than that, nobody really bugged me.  
I guess I was just...really, _really_ tired.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Laura was very out of it, like she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a long, long time. Maybe she hadn't, how was Johnny to know?  
When they finally pulled up to his house, Lacey and Mercedes had to all but drag Laura out of the car. What had happened to the nearly endless energy he had (almost) grown accustomed to?  
He unlocked the door and walked inside, the three girls following him like moths after a light.  
"This is it," he said, gesturing vaguely about himself. "Welcome to Chateau du Johnny."  
Laura's skin took on a greenish complexion. "Where'syourbathroom?" She asked rapidly.  
Johnny pointed down the hall and she dashed away, cupping her hands over her mouth.  
"Uh...okay then..." he said. "Now we know why she was so out of it, I guess."  
"I'll go check on her," said Lacey. She followed the direction Laura dashed off in.  
Well now.  
Mercedes was examining the painting up against the wall. "Man, this thing is HUGE," she commented.  
Johnny shrugged. "Eh, I've painted larger things. Not in a while, now, but I have."  
Mercedes just continued to stare at the painting, looking deep in thought.  
"What the..." he heard her say. "That's weird..."  
"What?" He said, stepping closer.  
She turned her head to look at him. "It looks a lot like Laura."  
_*Holy shit. It **does**...*_  
Lacey walked back with Laura's arm slung over her shoulder. Laura still looked a little green, and her glasses were slightly askew. "Hey, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I think we should take Laura back to the apartment," she said. "She probably shouldn't have left in the first place..."  
"I feel like crap, Johnny..." muttered said sick girl. "I'm sorry about this, but I guess I hafta head back."  
She glanced at the painting, her glasses slipping down her nose a bit. "Brain not working..." she mumbled, almost too quiet to hear. She looked back at Johnny. "I'm really, really sorry, but I don't think I can give you my honest opinion right now, but give me a day or two and I'll be all better."  
She pushed her glasses back up her nose.  
As Mercedes and Lacey helped Laura back to the car, Johnny cast one last look at the painting.  
It really did look like Laura turning her head over her shoulder. The rock was her eye, the sandbank in the river her ear, and the river itself her hair.  
How the HELL had he painted that without realizing it?  
Johnny shook his head and followed the girls to his car.  
_*I suppose the real question is why I painted her*_, he thought.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Something watched as the blonde one was handed something; a key, perhaps.  
Then the blonde one wandered off.  
Something decided to move.  
He followed her. So many people on the sidewalk, he went by unnoticed.  
She turned to a much less crowded walk.  
He followed her.  
Another turn.  
Nobody.  
Besides the blonde and himself.  
He made sure to stay a safe distance behind her.  
Then she turned down an alley.  
_A short-cut, perhaps?_  
He followed her, grinning to himself. This shall be easy...  
He saw her. She had turned around. Ah, so she knew I was following her, she thought.  
**It does not matter,** whispered his little creature within.  
He grinned and took a step towards the blonde.  
"Hello, there," he hissed. "I believe you have something I want..."  
She dropped to the ground, as if in submission.  
Then she twisted and pushed up from the ground, kicking him squarely in the jaw.  
He sat there, stunned, and she ran off.  
"You little BITCH!" He shouted, then got up to chase after her.  
Then something shiny caught his eye. His face twisted into a cruel grin.  
_I'll get back at you later, I suppose..._  
He picked up the object and walked away.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

I felt like CRAP.  
We had ended up getting back before Leah, and I was lying down on the kitchen floor, the cool linoleum settling my stomach for some odd reason. Or maybe it was because I was lying down and not moving...  
Then Leah stepped into the kitchen.  
Looking like she had seen a ghost.  
"Hey, hey, I can't look that bad," I muttered.  
"No, that's not it," she said. "I was just attacked by some creeepy guy!"  
I shot up, making my stomach churn slightly as I did so. "What? Are you okay? What happened?"  
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said. "I kind of kicked his ass, and he didn't follow after me, so I'm fine."  
I stood up shakily. "Okay, that's good," I said. "But maybe...next time, let's not leave by ourselves anymore. Especially if some creep is trying to attack people."  
Leah nodded, then glanced around. "Where's Sadee and Lacey?"  
I grimaced. "At the drug-store. There going to get me something for my stomach."  
"Ah. So you're sick?"  
I nodded.  
She gave me a look. "Bed."  
"What?"  
She clapped her hands together twice. "You heard me. Bed."  
She pushed me to my room. "Get some rest, got it?" She ordered.  
I gave her a lazy salute. "Yes, General Mom." I crawled on top of the bed without bothering to pull the covers over me. I heard Leah close the door and sighed.  
_Okay, time for sleep..._  
And I did.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Something grinned to himself. The creature within him sat quietly. Though he had failed to eliminate the blonde as it had wanted him to, he had earned a victory far more significant.  
That girl's key.  
The creature was pleased.


	22. Something

**Another Wednesday, another chapter...actually, now the end is coming! The end is near! The end is near!**

Okay, imagine this one girl so sick that it's not a far cry to imagine how she would look in her death-bed.  
Now see the same girl, twelve hours later, running about as if nothing had happened.  
That's what being sick is for me.  
Yep.  
Now also imagine the same girl, 5 years old. From age five to age nine she has close to no close friends.  
Seen as a bit of a freak.  
Give her two or three close friends and she treats them like they're her only means of survival, therefore keeping them as safe and healthy as they make her feel.  
Now, what happens to the girl's emotions and reactions when one of her life-lines is threatened. One of those that kept her alive and happy being hurt.  
Imagine what it's like for me to hear that one of my 'sisters' was attacked.  
Imagine the initial fear and worry turning to anger.  
Figure that out, and you have a pretty good idea how I felt at that moment, that moment of perfect lucidity after being sick for half a day, and then recovering enough to fully digest the information one of my friends had given me on suck and attack.  
I was livid.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

But at the moment, I couldn't really do anything.  
"Re-re, are you _sure_ you couldn't see his face? Anything?"  
She shook her head. "It was dark. I probably should have encountered him in a brighter area."  
I rubbed my temples with the tips of my fingers. "And you said you might have dropped my spare key?"  
She nodded.  
"Well, that's not good. I'm glad Sadee and Lace are with Johnny right now..."  
"Why didn't you go with them?" She asked me.  
I shrugged. "You're my mo-ma, I can't let anything happen to ya. You got off easy this round, but what if he has a gun or something next time?"  
She snorted. "Then we'd both be screwed."  
I stuck my tongue out at her. "Hey, you know me; I take care of my friends. Lace and Goose are the same."  
"As do I," Leah added pointedly.  
"Yeah, we're all that kind of person. I kind of think Johnny might be, but..."  
Leah shifted her feet. "But what?"  
I shrugged. "I dunno," I said finally. "Remember my whole thing about people's Shadows?"  
"Not really, but you could remind me."  
"Like, how I associate people with certain colours and weights?"  
She nodded. "I remember that vaguely. What about it?"  
"Well..." I crossed my legs. "He's got a heavy Shadow. Like...hmmm...sometimes angry. He's kind of a rusty brown...but a lot of the times, he's grey."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
I ran my fingers through my hair and pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose. "I don't know. I don't know what a person's colour means, just that a person feels like that colour."  
"Ugh...you're so vague..."  
"I can't help it! You know as well as I do how...ah...swirly? Abstract! How abstract I think!"  
She gave me a look. "Yes...I think everyone at school knew that, too."  
A knock sounded at the door and Leah stood up. "I'll get it," she said.  
I just sat and continued to think. Nothing I could do to help...I chewed on my thumb-nail. Chikusa, I hated feeling so useless...

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Laura's blonde friend...Leah? lead us to the living room. Laura was sitting on the floor, chewing on her thumb-nail in her usual 'I'm thinking deep don't bother me' posture. She looked up as we walked in. "Hey guys," she mumbled, a half-glazed look on her face.  
_*Either she's still sick or she's really thinking deeply on something...*_ Since she was no longer green, Johnny leaned towards the latter.  
"Get up, Laura!" Demanded Lacey. Laura of course immediately stood. She always did what Lacey told her to do.  
Same with Leah.  
And with Mercedes.  
She was rather passive towards her friends when they gave orders, and she always seemed to be unsure of what to say or do.  
Other than that, she was a little blue and black ball of pure energy, rarely still for any lengthy amount of time.  
Apparently, though, Leah had been attacked by a random mugger who had possibly made off with one of Laura's keys. Since then, she had been very quiet and contemplative, rarely out of her thinking pose.  
Like she was trying to formulate a plan.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Something's skin prickled and tingled. They were all together now, all of them. Every little connection, brought together in such a small group. The creature within seemed to giggle. The time had come, the necessary items had been gathered. It didn't even need the key.  
They were all outside, all of them. So close...  
Something decided that now would be a good time to move.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

We were all outside, walking to the park. We normally wouldn't have walked, but it was getting warm; a nice night for a walk. Well, it wasn't quite yet nighttime. Pure nighttime, my favourite time of day, would begin in about twenty minutes.  
"What shall we do tonight?" Asked Sadee, stretching.  
A soft popping sound rang out somewhere far away from us, and next thing I know, Mercedes was on the ground, breaths coming out as shrill whistles. She was clutching her side, which was bleeding. My head whipped back up, scanning around us.  
"What the fuck was that?" I hissed.  
Another faint pop. The ground at Lacey's feet poofed up in a confetti shower of side-walk chunks and earth.  
Then another pop. Something grazed Johnny's face.  
We were being shot at.  
Leah and I ran and pulled Mercedes up. "Johnny, where's your car?" She hissed.  
"What the _fuck_ is going on here?" Yelled Lacey.  
"How the fuck should I know?" Yelled Johnny.  
We were all running, Leah and I lagging slightly behind while carrying Mercedes. "We gotta stop the bleeding," she said almost calmly. Johnny unlocked the car and we all jumped in, Leah, Mercedes and I taking up the back seat. I pulled off my sweater. "I'm glad I'm so sensitive to the cold," I muttered.  
"I think she's going into shock," said Leah. "We need to get to a hospital."  
Johnny peeled off. The blood on his face was flowing freely.  
"Johnny, we should get something for you, too," I said. "It looks like that ass almost shot a hole through your mouth."  
He touched his face. "Almost," he muttered.  
He pulled up in front of the apartment complex. "We can call for an ambulance here," he explained. "While we wait, we can try to stem the blood-flow a little more."  
Leah shook her head. "We really shouldn't be moving her," she said.  
"The hospital is about twenty minutes away. The ambulance will get here faster than we'll make it to there."  
We stayed quiet for a small moment. "Well," began Lacey. "I don't want to be stuck in here if that crazy bastard shooter is looking for us."  
We all agreed on that.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

We finally got to my apartment. I rifled through my pockets for my key, then I realized...  
the door was ever so slightly ajar.  
Somebody was inside already.  
We walked inside, looking around cautiously. Lacey walked into the kitchen and shrugged.  
Mercedes let out a small groan and Leah and I carried her over to the table and placed her on top of it.  
"Shit, I'm gonna have to get a new table now," I muttered.  
Everyone stood there, staring at me. Then, we all began to laugh.  
It started out quiet, then built up to full-on belly laughter. I was crying. Lacey was having trouble dialing the phone.  
Then, we heard a clicking sound.  
Like somebody undoing the safety on a gun.  
Like a gun pressed hard against the back of my head.  
"Why hello," said a voice in my ear. "Why don't you turn around slowly, so that we can both get a proper look at each-other?"  
I turned around very slowly.  
There, standing before me with a hand-gun pointed directly between my eyes, was a man. A very tall man.  
"Hello, hello," he said. "My name is Jetty, and while my little brother may have gone by whatever bull-shit nick-names he could come up with-Darkness, what bullshit-I prefer going by my own name."  
He smiled. "I like my name."  
Jetty may have been smiling, but none of us were laughing anymore.


	23. Snap

**Hey, I almost forgot to post this! Whew, but I _did_ remember! Enjoy this chappy!**

Mercedes was bleeding out on my kitchen table.  
Leah was holding my sweater to her side, trying to suppress the blood flow.  
Lacey was standing near the phone, staring at me.  
I couldn't see what Johnny was doing. Then again, he wasn't even near my line of sight.  
The man standing in front of me was holding a gun.  
Pointed right at my face.  
And he was grinning.  
I glanced quickly at the gun clenched in his left hand. It didn't shake or waver, so I figured he'd held a person at gunpoint before.  
Something connected in my mind.  
"You were the one shooting at us," I said.  
He nodded. "Quite perceptive, I see," he sneered. "And every shot hit it's mark, too."  
I let my eyes flicker over towards Mercedes, then back to him. "Jetty, huh?"  
He nodded.  
I felt something inside me snap.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Johnny could see the change in Laura just before her hand shot out and grabbed Jetty's wrist. An odd transition from shock and fear to pure fury.

**0o0o0o0o0**

I held on tightly to his wrist and felt myself relax slightly as Jetty hissed in pain, dropping the gun. He ripped his hand free and swung at me, landing a hard blow to the gut and winding me.  
Then, it was as if the room exploded.  
Suddenly, Lacey was rushing at him with one of the roach-pans, screaming bloody murder. Johnny had picked up on of my chairs and threw it at Jetty.  
The man spun and hissed like a cornered cat. A strange light glimmered in his eyes.  
I got up and rushed at him, tackling his legs, punching at him in a blind fury.  
**"NOBODY. EVER. HURTS. MY. FRIENDS!"** I howled.  
He shoved me off and back-fisted me, sending me to the floor again. Lacey pounded him with the pan.  
He shoved her away and scooped up his gun. Swinging around, he wrapped an arm around her neck in a headlock and pointed the gun to her head.  
Everybody froze.  
"Do NOT follow me," said Jetty with a crazed grin on his face. "I will blow her brains out if you do."  
He began backing out, dragging Lacey with him.  
"You better fucking save me," she growled at us. "I'll never forgive you if you don't."  
Then, they were both gone.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Leah ended up calling the police after the ambulance had taken Mercedes away. While we were waiting, she patched Johnny's face up.  
The cops didn't seem like they'd be much help. Asking the same questions over and over again like broken records, their faces dead-pan, almost looking bored.  
And in the meantime, Lacey was getting further and further out of reach.

**0o0o0o0o0**

After the police left, Laura and Leah huddled together on the couch. Johnny sat in the armchair, feeling not for the first time out of place.  
"We gotta find her, Leah," whispered the smaller girl over and over. "We can't let him hurt Lacey."  
Leah had her arm around Laura's shoulders in a sort of half hug.  
"Lacey will be okay," she murmured back. "She's a strong person; she'll be fine."  
Johnny felt that she was saying this to reassure herself as much as Laura.  
After several minutes of whispered mantras and quiet reassurances, the phone rang. Leah made a move to get up and answer it, but Johnny stood up first. "Stay with her," he ordered, pointing at Laura. Leah looked hesitant at first, then nodded.  
He walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone.  
"Hello, is Miss. L. there?"  
Johnny glanced over his shoulder towards the living room. "She is," he replied. "But...she's in a slight state of shock right now. Who is this?"  
The man on the other end cleared his throat. "My name is Thorton Napolitano. I am Mercedes' step-father." The man had the lightest of Italian accents. "I would really like to speak with Miss L., it's important."  
Johnny sighed. "I'm sorry to say that that would be a little difficult. Right now, Laura's conversation capabilities have been rendered to only two understandable sentences. I'll pass on whatever information you have."  
He heard Thorton sigh over the phone. "I suppose I am going to have to trust you to do that," he said finally. "Very well: please inform Miss L. that I have temporarily placed Mercedes legally under her guardianship. She may now legally sign whatever forms or papers she needs to in the event of, say, Mercedes being hospitalized."  
Johnny jolted slightly at that. "How much do you know?"  
Thorton chuckled. "I know enough," he replied. "And I'm sure Mercedes will be able to tell you about how one day. Just make sure she's able to, you got that?"  
Then he hung up, leaving a very surprised Johnny standing next to the phone. He placed it in the cradle and turned to go to the other room when it rang again.  
He picked it up. "Hello, is miss Laura L. available?" Asked a very generic sounding voice.  
"Not right now," he answered. "Who is this?"  
"This is Dr. Ghest. I wanted to inform Miss. L. that Mercedes K. has been stabilized. She's going to have to stay here for a while longer, but we just wanted her to know that she'll be okay. If you could pass on that information, that would be wonderful."  
Johnny nodded. "Okay, thank you, I'll let her know."  
Then he hung up.  
Laura and Leah were still huddled on the couch when Johnny walked back in, but Laura had seemed to finally calmed down. "Hey," he said quietly. "Both of you, let's go."  
They looked up at him. "Where and why?" Asked Laura.  
He allowed himself a little half smile. "The hospital. Mercedes is going to be okay."

**0o0o0o0o0**

Somewhere not too far away, Jetty hummed a little tune to himself. Oh, had that been so much fun! The creature was so pleased, he almost felt a warm little glow in the pit of his stomach.  
The noisy one was locked in another room.  
Well, she wasn't quite so noisy anymore. Somewhere between getting her from the apartment to his little...base...she had withdrawn into herself, appearing tired and contemplative. She was quite a bother, however.  
But he didn't want to kill her.  
Not yet, at least.


	24. Tic Toc Time

**Hey people...sorry for not sounding enthusiastic, but I'm exhausted...anywho, please enjoy this!**

One week. 7 days. Roughly 168 hours. Roughly 10080 minutes.  
The further I divide the time, the longer it seems.  
7 days that Lacey has been gone. 7 days since Mercedes was put into the hospital.  
7 days for my psyche to deteriorate. Did you know that the word 'psyche' comes from the Latin word for butterfly and soul?  
That makes it sound much more prettily painful.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Doctor."  
Leah hung up the phone and turned around. Then she grinned. "Mercedes is being transferred today. She's well enough to have visitors-" she coughed into her fist. "-that haven't been mysteriously been designated as her temporary guardian."  
I gave a short chuckle. When we had gone to visit Mercedes several days back, I had been the only one allowed in.  
Very strict doctors and aids and what-not.  
"We should go today, or Sadee will have a fit," I said quietly.  
I was in a bit of a mood lately.  
I get like that when one of my very best friends-a lifeline, almost- gets kidnapped right under my nose.  
And two others get shot.  
"Do you want me to call Johnny?" Asked Leah. I nodded.  
"Yeah, he'll prolly want to know about Sadee. And she'd prolly throw a fit if she didn't get to see him," I added.  
While Leah called Johnny, I grabbed our coats.  
I heard the phone ring. Funny, I thought Leah was calling some-one...  
I could hear her voice through the wall of my room as I dug around for the sweater not covered in blood. I only have one of those, and my bedroom is a mess.  
"Laura?" I heard Leah call.  
"What?" I called back.  
I think you should come out here. The doctor...he wants to talk to you."  
I sighed. I hadn't spoken on the phone for the last week. Johnny and Leah seemed to have come to some sort of agreement: a 'Laura no touchy the phone' kind of agreement.  
I stepped out and took hold of the offered phone. "Hello, this is Laura."  
"Miss L!" Gasped a very flustered sounding woman. "Miss L, something terrible's happened!"  
"Cut to the chase," I said quickly. "If it's bad, I want to hear about it before it gets worse."  
"We-well...It's about Mercedes, of course. As you probably know, we were transferring her to a less-intensive care ward, but as we were...ah..."  
I felt my insides grow cold. "What...what are you trying to say?"  
"Mercedes...and I take full responsibility for this, well, just as we were about to remove her from the room, or rather as soon as we walked in..."  
"WHAT IS IT?" I shouted. The woman was started to scare me terribly.  
"Mercedes...wasn't...she was gone."  
The phone fell from my hand. Fuck. **FUCK!**

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

When he arrived to pick up the girls, he found Laura on her knees in the kitchen and Leah trying to comfort the smaller girl.  
That's not a good sign...  
"What happened now?" He asked bluntly.  
Laura looked up and glared at him. He almost took a step back. *If looks could kill...*  
Though it wasn't directed at him, really. It was as if she were directing it inwards.  
"Mercedes is gone," she replied in a dead tone. "She disappeared before they even transferred her."  
The venom in her voice...it was as if she were blaming herself for what happened.  
"Was it that gun-toting ass?" He found himself asking. Laura looked away and Johnny felt himself relax.  
It's hard having that much fury unintentionally directed towards a person.  
"...they found a picture. It's of Lacey, sitting in a room or something," responded Leah.  
"Which means she's still alive, and more or less unharmed," continued Laura.  
Well, that's good.  
A part of him- a part of himself he didn't like all that much- snickered. *Alive and unharmed for now,* it seemed to whisper.  
"It's weird," he murmured. "Is he picking you guys off or something? Why?"  
At this, he received confused and-in Leah's case- pessimistic- and in Laura's case infuriated looks.  
So much rage for one person to hold.  
Far too much.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Johnny took us to a little chain-restaurant. I dunno why.  
I was hungry, anyways.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

I like places that have veggie-burgers and soup on the menu. It reminds me of home or something, I dunno.  
"How long have you been off beef?" Asked Johnny in that curious yetIcouldcareless sort of way.  
I shrugged. "What, since I was 18? About... 2 years now, I guess. Well, more like 2 and a half, now."  
I hated how idle I felt sitting and eating. My skin felt itchy and my legs kept twitching.  
I took a bite of my vegetarian-friendly burger.  
Leah ordered another drink.  
"Johnny, why aren't you eating?" I asked. He'd barely touched his food at all.  
I get kinda mothery-smothery towards my friends sometimes.  
He shrugged. "I don't eat that much," he answered almost vaguely. I sighed and stood up.  
"Be right back," I murmured. I walked slowly towards the bathrooms.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

I splashed some cold water in my face. The bags under my eyes were returning.  
I remember reading somewhere that you die from sleep deprivation before you die of hunger.  
Something like...not sleeping for ten days straight can kill you, if you're normally an average sleeper.  
It's been a week. No sleep. Not a wink. Quite different from before; at least then I had a few hours of sleep now and then.  
I wondered how much time my body was going to give me.  
I wondered if I might die before we find Lacey. And Mercedes.  
I shuddered and splashed more water in my face.  
I won't allow that to happen.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

When I walked back to the table, Leah and Johnny were gone.  
A picture of Mercedes and Lacey was on the table.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Taking out both Johnny and the blonde had been a challenge.  
Jetty found it fun.  
Unlike capturing the girl he'd shot. She had been asleep and unable to fight back, which Jetty had found incredibly boring.  
Then again, barring the part where he had to discretely drug the drinks, taking these two with him had proved almost as easy.  
All he had had to do was pretend that these two were his 'drunken idiot friends'.  
Unfortunate that the glasses girl had left the table before he wandered over. Oh well.  
He'd just pick her up later.


	25. Receptum du Extremus Part 1: Puzzle

**Well hello my lovelies. Welcome to part 1 of 4 of the finale of Phonecall. I hope you enjoy it...**

The apartment had never seemed so empty before.  
So quiet. So big.  
No one else. Only me. All alone.  
/bUt YoU'rE nOt AlOnE./  
Besides Firo, that is. And Littlefoot, but he hadn't spoken in a long time.  
The picture of Mercedes and Lacey sat on the arm of my chair. They were in a poorly lit white-washed room, roped to chairs welded to the floor.  
That was where Jetty must have taken Johnny and Leah yesterday.  
/yOu WaNt To FiNd ThEm, RiGhT?/  
"What kind of question is that?" I spat. "Of course I want to find them! But I have no way to, the cops have been next to useless, and I'm all. Alone. How the **FUCK** am I supposed to be able to do **ANYTHING**?"  
I was standing up and yelling my heart out. "I can't fucking DRIVE, I'm terrible at finding ANYTHING, and, oh yeah, I'M TALKING TO A BACK-PACK! How the HELL do you expect me to find FOUR missing people?"  
{When insanity's the norm/ When your heart feels out of place/ only the insane/ trust your gut/ and deluded survive/ it's the only way to survive.}  
Littlefoot's voice sounded faint and whispery, as if from disuse. But he was sounding as cryptic as ever.  
"LF, sometimes I wish you'd be just a little bit more straightforward," I said, sitting down again. The chair made a rustling sound, as if there were paper in the cushions. I stood back up and pulled the cushion off.  
Underneath it was an envelope.  
On said envelope was my name.  
In said envelope was a message.

_'Hello, there,'_ it said. _'You are an observant one, aren't you? Are you enjoying my little game? I didn't mean to leave you out the other day, but when I picked up your two friends, you simply weren't there.'_  
I ground my teeth together. What did this...bitch of a man...want with me and mine?  
_'I have nothing against you personally,'_ it went on to say. _'but one of your friends...Johnny, if I really have to put a name to It...has done me a great disservice.'_  
I raised and eyebrow. What could Johnny have done to this guy?  
_'Being the kind of man that I am, I find it difficult to let such an issue go. I thought about killing It, but that idea dissatisfied and bored me._  
_But I digress._  
_The point of this little note it** not** to divulge and elaborate back-story but to offer a little hint. I feel as though I should give the other players a fair chance, if you can stand me to reuse my game analogy.'_  
I sat back on my heels. *What is he getting at...?*  
_'So, if you are reading this, it must be no more than three days after I stole away your friends.'_  
I nodded. That'd only happened the day before.  
_'If not, you won't ever have the chance to read this._  
_But there I go digressing again._  
_Since this is a game, how about a little riddle?'_  
I groaned. I suck at riddles.  
_'Count my letters "Z" to "A"_  
_Add together "The Ocean's Spray"_  
_Do so twice and make them one Remove a "J" and you're almost done Hold it to a mirror, and hey!_  
_You've found the house where I've hidden away.'_  
What. The Hell. Was ANY of that supposed to mean?

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Jetty took apart his favourite hand-gun for what had to have been the millionth time. He hoped the girl would find his little clue; it'd been _such_ a pain in the ass to write to just let it go to waste.  
"Maybe I should have made it more like a scavenger hunt," he murmured to a spring as he replaced it.  
"But that would have taken a long time to set up, I suppose," he added to the barrel.  
And as he slid the hammer back into place, he felt the urge to comment: "I hope that dumb riddle won't be too hard. The whole point of it is to have her find us."  
He held the re-assembled gun and grinned. For an instant, his reflection in the cold steel seemed to flicker into something else.  
But it was gone so quickly that Jetty didn't even register it.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Johnny was in a bit of a foul mood.  
Several hours ago, he had woken up to find himself in a poorly lit white-washed room, tied to a chair apparently welded to the floor.  
This was no the main reason for his bad mood.  
No, his mood was caused by the whole _waking up_ part.  
There were few things in the world he _detested_ more than sleep...but let's not get into that.  
At least he hadn't been gagged. Neither had the others.  
"This really sucks," muttered Mercedes, still in her hospital gown. "I'm supposed to be in a hospital bed with a tub of ice-cream in my lap and 24/7 T.V. time; what the fuck, man?"  
At least being kid-napped had done nothing to dampen her spirits.  
Lacey was much calmer, having been stuck here for longer.  
"He said he won't do anything to us until we're all 'assembled'," she said, spitting at the last word. "Knowing how slippery Laura can be, that could take weeks."  
Then she sighed. "But also knowing how Laura can be, she might just go bat-shit crazy and tear up the town looking for us."  
Leah mumbled something indiscernible in her drugged sleep.  
"Is there anything we can do?" Asked Mercedes. Lacey shrugged.  
"Not that I know of, and I've been down here a week. This guy doesn't budge or take any chances."  
Then she turned to look at Johnny. "He keeps saying that you're the one to blame for this," she said icily. "Do you have any inkling of a clue as to why that is?"  
Johnny shrugged as best he could with his hands tied behind him. "Not that I'm aware of," he replied. "He seems vaguely familiar, though..." "You didn't insult him or anything, did you? He seems to be the kind of person that'd shoot you for just looking at him funny."  
_*Ha. Now that would be ironic.*_  
"As far as I know, I've never intentionally done anything to harm or insult this guy, directly or indirectly." And that was the truth. If he had done something, he truly did not remember it.  
But that didn't explain why the man that'd kidnapped them seemed so damn familiar...  
Lacey was narrowing her eyes skeptically at him, but she seemed to accept his response.  
Leah mumble something again.  
"This place freaks me out," Mercedes said. "I normally like dark places like this, but this place freaks the crap outta me. I guess being tied up and shit doesn't help."  
Leah groaned and sat up straight. "Agh, my head..." she muttered. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at the others. "Lacey..." she murmured. "Johnny...and Mercedes." She blinked.  
"Where the Hell are we, and why the Hell are we all tied to chairs?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

I hate riddles. I really do.  
But I think I've got this one figured out.  
/aRe We ThErE yEt?/ Whined Firo.  
I let a smile creep over my face for the first time in nine days.  
I must have looked terrifying just then.  
"Not quite, my friend," I replied.  
/Do YoU eVeN kNoW wHeRe We'Re GoInG?/  
I chuckled. "Once you figure out what that first line was saying, the rest was easy."  
I was walking as I talked, ignoring the looks of passerby.  
"It's almost like when I did my codes; 'Count my letters "Z" to "A"'; that's just assigning a number 1 through 26 to each letter, starting from "Z". Take that and add up the letters in the phrase 'The Ocean's Spray', and you get the number 209."  
/sO wE'rE gOiNg To HoUsE 209?/  
I shook my head. "Let me finish, bud."  
My breath misted out in front of my as I spoke. "It said 'do so twice', as in do the problem twice, then 'make them one', ore add them together. That got me 418."  
/wHaT's ThAt SuPpOsEd To MeAn, ThOuGh?/  
"Hold a sec, I'm getting there. It then said 'remove a "J". "J" was the number 17, so I just subtracted the number 17 from 418. That gave me 401. The mirror thing was a reference to reversing the numbers, so 401 becomes 104. 'The house where I've hidden away' is house 104."  
/BuT wHaT iF hE's NoT aT tHaT hOuSe?/  
I shrugged and checked the house numbers. Still in the 300's...  
"I thought about that," I admitted. "But the only other answer I got was house 33. I dunno. Either way, we'll find out soon enough."

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

He took aim.  
Pulled the trigger.  
**BANG**

Ah, shit. He'd forgotten the damn silencer...Oh well.  
He'd hit the 200 yard target.  
He sighed. Unmoving target were such a bore...  
Nothing what like shooting at the girls...and It...had been like.  
Oh, no. That had been fun.  
He sighed and made his way back home.  
_*Maybe that girl will finally be there...*_

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

"I hope that Laura finds us soon..." murmured Mercedes.  
Johnny cocked his head to the side. "What makes you think she'll find us at all?" He asked.  
He received a trio of withering stares.  
_*What did I say?*_  
"Okay, everyone knows Laura's a procrastinator to the extreme, right?" Asked Lacey. Everyone nodded.  
"And we all know how psycho-bitchy she can get, right?"  
Leah chuckled and Mercedes let out a "Hellz yeah," but Johnny just responded with a blank stare.  
"I've only ever seen her go manic once or twice," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen her go 'psycho-bitchy'."  
The girls exchanged a knowing look.  
"Johnny, remember me on my birthday?" Piped up Mercedes.  
He had a momentary flash-back of Mercedes chasing Laura around the apartment.  
"Multiply that by how many of us are here, then add, oh, just a dash of hellish fury."  
Johnny thought about it. "I have to admit, that sounds fucking scary. But how does that help her find us?"  
"One thing about Laura is that she's reliable," said Leah in that quiet voice of hers. "Whether it's remembering even the minute details of something or her annoying tendency to show up at least half and hour early to anywhere. She's the annoying brat to put your money on. And you can trust her."  
Mercedes snorted. "She's kinda like a puppy that just doesn't stop following you around, but rarely fails to make you laugh. Normally, at her own expense."  
"And she can be a bitch," continued Lacey. "But she's and honest bitch. And back to my whole 'procrastinating psycho-bitch' thing: though Laura is a lazy ass and sometimes needs a good smack up the head to stay focused, give her some motivation and she'll fly at the problem like a bat outta Hell. Try dangling a Batman or X-men toy in front of her sometime; it's freakin' hilarious."  
That actually did sound amusing. He'd have to try it sometime.  
"But _how_ would she find us?" he asked.  
This garnered a collective shrug.  
"She'll figure it out somehow," said Leah.  
Johnny sighed through his nose. "You guys have a lot of faith in her, don't you?"  
Lacey smirked. "Spend another month or so around her, and you'll wonder why you ever doubted us. That girl is like a leech that just won't come off."  
"If you can be friends with a leech," added Mercedes.  
This started up a round of chuckling.  
Johnny shrugged.  
Maybe he'd try to have a little faith in Laura, too.  
It was certainly doing the others a world of good.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Jetty wondered at how calm they all were acting; why, they were even joking around!  
The creature twitched, rather unhappy with this odd turn of events.  
But he just shrugged it off.  
"Let them laugh," he told it. "I suppose they're allowed a little light in they're lives before they die."

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

House 104.  
This had to be it.  
I took a deep breath.  
"Well, here goes...something, I guess."  
Then, like the impulsive creature that I am and always will be, I opened the door and stepped inside.


	26. Receptum du Extremus Part 2: Break

**Hello! Welcome to part 2 of 4 of my finale! If you have any questions about the story's continuation...well, you could always ask.**

I suppose I'd expected something more...hellish.  
Something scary.  
But no; house 104 was an average looking house, inside and out. The only reason I knew I was at the right house was the gun lying on the kitchen table.  
You don't easily forget something that was held pointed to your face in a way that threatened death.  
Being the creature that I am, I picked it up.  
_*That's definitely the same gun...*_  
The safety was done up, so I carried it with me as I searched the house. It was rather small, only slightly larger than my apartment, and since there wasn't a sound to be heard, I assumed that Jetty was out.  
Then I heard a very quiet voice coming from below me.  
"...one more day," the voice- Jetty's, I think- was saying. "One more day, and I'll go and get her myself."  
I looked down at my feet and noticed a floor-grate.  
"Huh..."

**0o0o0o0o0**

They were all awake.  
This pleased Jetty greatly.  
He had told them about the little riddle he's given the girl. They hadn't seemed impressed, but he hadn't exactly expected them to be.  
"So I gave her three days to find us," he was saying. "Two days are already gone, or they almost are, and the day after tomorrow I'm gonna go and retrieve her if she hasn't figured everything out by then."  
"And what if she shows up early?" The bothersome one asked. "She may be slow sometimes, but she's not a complete moron."

**0o0o0o0o0**

_*Thanks for having so much faith in me, Lace.*_

**0o0o0o0o0**

Jetty laughed. "Even if she does find my house, there's no way into this place from here. Only one way in and one way out...If she is at my house, I'll just have to go and check; then I can collect her..."

**0o0o0o0o0**

_*Shit. Well, that's my cue...*_  
The thing about these floor-grates is that they're loose. I had no problem lifting it up. It lead to a ventilation shaft.  
I would just barely fit.  
I let out a breath. "I'll have to take my shoes and coat off for this..."  
Playground logic: It is easier to climb up or down a slide in bare feet.  
It's also quieter.  
First, I found a closet in the hall and tossed my coat, shoes, and socks inside. And though I felt bad about it, I tossed Firo in with them.  
/bUt I wAnNa CoMe ToO,/ he whined.  
"You can't this time, bud," I snapped. "I'm barely gonna fit in there myself; I can't take you in with me."  
He grumbled indignantly but otherwise stayed silent. I shut the door on him.  
I looked at the gun I was still holding. The metal had warmed as I held it. I put it down the front of my shirt.  
"All that crap about having it and not needing it and whatnot..."  
So I crawled headfirst and down into the vent.  
I had to bite back some choice curse-words that would've even curled Johnny's ears as I dragged myself down. I used my toes to drag the grate more or less back into place behind me. I might've found that funny and begun to hum spy themes, but the vent was very...very tight. I barely had enough room to push myself forward and down.  
The walls pushed against my shoulders.  
All four surfaces pressed against me, not even giving me an inch of lee-way.  
The shaft began to curve slightly so that I was gradually doing towards the horizontal.  
I felt like I was being crushed.  
I could barely breath.  
I kept on inching my way forward, praying that the vent would widen out, even the tiniest bit.  
And, very gradually, it did. It even got to the point where I could turn around if I'd wanted to.  
_*Hah. Yeah right. I'm not going that way again if I can help it...*_  
And I could hear voices again, faint, but they were definitely getting closer.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Jetty had to go back to the house.  
He wanted to see if the girl had solved his riddle.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Let's hope she thought to bring help," said Lacey.

**0o0o0o0o0**

_*Oh. Maybe I should've done that...*_

**0o0o0o0o0**

"But how's she supposed to find us, even with all of Jetty's clues and shit?" Said Mercedes. "You heard him; they lead to the house. You can't get here from there!"  
Johnny shrugged. "Unless he was lying."  
"He doesn't have any reason to lie," Leah pointed out. "He's planning on killing us all, remember?"  
"I almost wish he'd just get it over with," grumbled Lacey. "One hour out of this damn chair each day is the worst pain in the ass I have EVER experienced."  
"Let's hope we live to experience even worse, eh?" Joked Mercedes.  
Nobody laughed.

**0o0o0o0o0**

It was gone. His hand-gun...it was just. Not. There.  
It was the gun he was always fiddling with. His favourite gun. Almost a friend...  
His most reliable gun.  
And it. Was. **GONE.**  
This made Jetty very, _very_ angry.  
In fact, he was down-right furious.  
He went tearing through the house in a near-blind rage. "Where is it? Where is it?" He kept on saying.  
He checked the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, both bedrooms.  
It wasn't in any of those places.  
He let out a howl as he tore open the door to the hall closet.  
And found himself staring face-to-face with the girl's little plush back-pack.  
He immediately calmed down.  
"Now how did _you_ get in here...?" he murmured, lifting the creepy cat-thing out slowly. Underneath it, he found the girl's shoes, socks, and coat.  
Lifting these items up, a grin slowly formed on Jetty's face.  
"Oh, little mouse..." he called softly. "I think you may have forgotten a few things..."  
The creature squirmed with joy.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The vent ended up narrowing out too much for me to squeeze through.  
"Ah, shit..." I muttered. Luckily, there had been a grate a few feet back, so I crawled backwards and kicked it down. I crawled back some more and slowly lowered myself down. Dangling from the vent, there was a good three feet of space beneath my feet, making me about...I dunno, eight feet up? Anyways, I dropped down without any problems. I could hear everyone's voices getting closer as I walked forward, though they were still a ways off. I pulled the gun out of my shirt and undid the safety.  
I'd rather be safe than sorry.  
I think.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Jetty whistled a merry little tune as he walked back towards his little hide-away. Things were taking an interesting turn; apparently, the girl had gone crawling around in the vents. The scratches around the grate showed she somehow managed to drag it back into place, but it'd left behind a big clue. Since there was quite the labyrinth of a vent system connecting his house to his hide-away, she could end up anywhere.  
He flung open the door to the 'Prison' room. "Hello, there, my lovely little hostages!" He cried. "Or should I just call you my prisoners? Maybe even the death-row inmates...welcome to the green mile and all that."  
They gave him weary stares...until they saw what was in his hands.

**0o0o0o0o0**

That was Laura's back-pack...that meant-  
"I see you've all noticed my new toy," continued the bastard. "I just found it in my closet, along with a coat and some shoes. So sad that they're _far_ too small for me..."  
He slung an arm across Johnny's shoulders.  
Johnny wondered how this man's eyes would look as paperweights.  
"I believe that it's about time for you all to stand up for a bit. Who wants to go first?"  
No-one volunteered.  
"All right, I'll take _this _one first today."  
He unclipped whatever link that was connecting Johnny to his chair and dragged him to another room where a there was a vertical pole coming down from the ceiling.  
"C'mon, why aren't you saying anything? You were all too talkative yesterday when we did this; I may have even learned a few new words."  
Johnny simply glared at him.  
Jetty chuckled and clipped him up to the pole, slinging his arm across Johnny's shoulders again.  
Johnny wanted to rip the taller man's throat straight out.  
"Don't be so glum," the bastard was saying. "After all, I'm guessing it won't be too long before you're reunited with your little girl-friend. You should be happy!"  
That little comment struck something in Johnny. "What, are we permanently stuck in some sort of high-school mentality?" He spat. "Is that why you dragged her into whatever this bull-shit is? Because you thought she was my _girlfriend_?"  
Jetty let out a short laugh. "I'm not so dense as to have gone on believing that were so," he said. "Though that was my reason originally. And judging from that painting you have of her, anyways, you care at least somewhat for her."  
Johnny tried to kick out, but his feet were tightly bound together.  
But not quite as tightly as they normally were.  
As he pondered this, he realized the bastard was still talking.  
"I admit, when I first saw you two together, I _did_ think you were an item. But even after a few minutes of watching you two made me realize that you weren't..."  
He patted Johnny's shoulder.  
_*Of all the people I've ever felt the urge to kill,*_ he thought, _***this** is the person I want dead the most.*_  
Jetty sighed. "Ah, if only my idiot brother had never taken an interest in you..."  
He began twirling Laura's pack by the top loop, and Johnny found that he was curious despite himself.  
"What does your brother have to do with any of this?" He asked coldly.  
The bastard sighed again. "Only a lot," he replied. "You see, it really is quite annoying when, after coming home from overseas, I discover that Jimmy had gone off galavanting around, idolizing freaks and killers."  
He draped his arm, once again, across Johnny's shoulders.  
"The stupid ass goes and gets himself killed by one in particular. Sound familiar?"  
Johnny remained silent, carefully working at his bonds.  
"It took me a while," Jetty continued, "but Jimmy left a bit of a bread-crumb trail for me. I did find you, but I would always keep losing you. You're a slippery little snake, you are." He grinned. "But then that girl stepped into the picture. It was so much easier tracking her than you, and she kept on bringing new players into the game..."  
Johnny gave a violent jerk, trying to throw Jetty off, but the taller man simply laughed.  
"Oh, and I like how you're not denying or admitting to killing him; neither honest nor dishonest. I like it. It's such a crying shame that I'm going to kill you...after I have a little fun first, of course."  
It was at this exact moment that Laura walked in.

**0o0o0o0o0**

This first thing I thought when I saw Johnny was _*Oh shit he's **PISSED***_  
The second thought I had went somewhere along the lines of _*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP*_  
Yeah, so for the next ten seconds or so, I just stood there, a gun behind my back and everything, staring a wild-ish kidnapping at least half-crazed gunman in the eyes.  
The third thing I though was _*Oh shit he's got my shoes.*_  
"Hey, there, little mouse," called Jetty. He removed his arms from Johnny's shoulders and Johnny started to wriggle furiously at his bonds.  
Jetty picked up a dark-metaled hand-gun from his work-bench and slowly, meticulously, aimed it at Johnny's head.  
"You know, I kind of wanted to save this one for last," he said, "seeing as he's the only one who's done anything wrong to me. But now, I want to see the look on _your_ pretty little face when I blow his brains out than the reverse."  
I pulled the gun out from behind my back and aimed it at him. "If your finger even twitches, _I'll _shoot _you_."  
He could see my hands shaking like mad. No-one in that room was very convinced, including myself. He gave a short laugh. "Have you even _held_ a gun before?" He jeered. "I bet you can't even aim properly, never mind shoot a person. Where did you get that gun, any...way..."  
Recognition dawned on his face. "My gun..." he murmured. Then his eyes flashed.  
"You little **BITCH**!"  
Then he was charging at me.  
Next thing I knew...  
BANG It echoed everywhere. The screaming. I heard screaming all around me. My ears rang.  
Falling, falling, a pain I barely registered.  
The monster I saw in his eyes before the trigger was pulled.  
Johnny pulling free from his restraints.  
The body on the floor.  
And as the blood pooled around me...  
As the screams faded to static...  
I realized that I had killed him.


	27. Receptum du Extremus Part 3: Blank

**Howdy, y'all! This is part 3 of 4 of the finale. Next chappy of Phonecall is the final chapp. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Johnny saw her hands shaking. There was no way she could fire the gun. Laura was not a killer.  
But Jetty charged at her.  
He saw the fear in her eyes as the man got closer and closer.  
He frantically pulled at his bonds, releasing his hands and kicking the bonds off of his feet.  
He didn't see her pull the trigger.  
He heard the gun shot, though.  
Then there was Laura, kneeling on the ground.  
Jetty, with a hole in his head.  
His blood pooling closer and closer to her.  
Her eyes as blank as a corpse's.  
"...Laura...?"  
She turned her head towards him, but the look in her eyes remained the same.  
Johnny walked towards her, scooping up her back-pack from where Jetty had flung it before his blood could taint it. He crouched down beside her and handed it towards her.  
"Firo..." she murmured, reaching for it in a dazed sort of way. The gun slipped from her hands and clattered noisily to the floor as she clutched the pack to her.  
_*Firo, huh? Maybe that's something worth remembering...*_  
"**HEY!**" called Lacey's voice. "What's going on out there?"  
"Jetty, if you dared to misplace **_one hair_** on Johnny's head, I'll fucking _kill_ you!" Screamed Mercedes.  
He grabbed Laura and pulled her up. "I'm fine," he called. "Jetty's dead. Laura's in shock."  
"What the fuck? Get your asses in here!" Hollered Lacey.  
Johnny glanced at Laura, looking smaller than ever clutching...Firo...that way. "C'mon," he said. "Let's go see the others."  
Her bare feet made soft padding sounds on the concrete as she walked. Her dazed manner was starting to worry Johnny.  
He had never seen her look so...devoid of life before.  
It was quite unsettling.  
The eyes of the three girls lit up when they saw Laura, but quickly dimmed when they realized she wasn't quite the little ball of energy she normally was.  
"Uh...Laura...?" said Mercedes.  
Lacey shot a glare at Johnny. "What happened?" She hissed. "No, wait. Tell us while you untie us. If I sit like this for another five minutes, I might have to hurt somebody."  
"I killed him, Lace," whispered Laura, startling all of them. "Pulled the trigger. He's dead. I did it..."  
Johnny sat her down in the chair he'd been tied to, then set about untying the girls. Lacey first, of course.  
"The bastard was talking to me about my crime against him," he explained as he did so. "All of a sudden, Laura shows up. He pulls out a gun and said something about wanting to see her expression when he blew my brains out more than the reverse." He finished with Lacey and moved on to Leah. "Laura pulls out a gun from behind her back and points it at him. I guess it was one of his, because he started to charge at her. I managed to get out of my ropes, but..." He finished with Leah's bonds and went to help Lacey untie Mercedes. "I guess...she just pulled the trigger...shot him right through the head, too."  
Lacey was giving him a look that he interpreted as 'you better tell me about your "crime" later or else'. He nodded slightly, and she stopped glaring.  
Leah had crouched down in front of Laura.  
"Hey, Laura?"  
The small girl moved her head up a fraction.  
"Laura, are you alright?"  
"I killed somebody, Leah," Laura mumbled. "The monster in his eyes would've eaten me if I hadn't."  
"Well, the monster's gone now," Leah said soothingly. Johnny could see why Laura only half jokingly called her 'mumzy'.  
"The monster's gone," she continued. "We don't have to worry about him anymore, okay?"  
Laura shivered and nodded slowly.  
"Can you stand up?" Asked Leah softly.  
Laura hugged Firo closer. "...dunno..." she mumbled. Johnny found her behavior oddly similar to how Squee would hug the stuffing out of his toy, Schmee.  
Lacey was pulling Mercedes up from her chair with some difficulty. "I could use some help," she huffed. "I'm not exactly in peak condition after being locked down here for over a week."  
Leah automatically jumped up to help, and the two of them made some sort of chair with their arms.  
"I feel all high and mighty now," said Mercedes.  
They made to leave, but Laura didn't budge.  
"...help..." she whimpered. "My legs won't move..."  
Lacey gave Johnny one of her killing glares and he sighed quietly through his nose. He walked over to Laura and grabbed her arm again, pulling her up. She really didn't seem to have any strength in her legs; he almost dropped her. He sighed again.  
"C'mon, work with me a bit, here." It looked like she was really trying to use her legs, but she couldn't stand up. He sighed again.  
_*Well, it's not like I've never done this for her before...*_  
He pulled her arm over his shoulders and dragged her beside him. She clutched desperately at Firo with her other arm.  
He followed the other three girls out of the room, somehow managing to pick up Laura's coat and shoes from the bastard's workbench. Thankfully, they didn't have to step over or close to Jetty's body, but Laura still looked. When she saw it, she clenched her hand against Johnny's shoulder.  
"He would've killed you if you hadn't killed him," he said as he dragged her away. "Not only that, but he would've killed Lacey, Leah, and Mercedes. And me."  
"I...I didn't mean to do it..." she whispered.  
"I don't doubt that," he said back. "You're not a killer."  
The group marched in silence for a long while.  
"...Nny?" whispered Laura.  
"Yeah?"  
"Does doing what I did...make me a bad person?"  
Johnny almost stopped in his tracks. "If you had come here planning to kill him for fun, than I would've said yes," he replied slowly. "But no. You're probably the furthest from a bad person I can think of. That bastard, though, he was going to kill your friends...those you care about...for fun. He was worse than bad."  
_*But not as bad as me.*_  
After about five minutes of walking, they reached some sort of exit. They found themselves crawling out of a hut disguised as a mound of dirt, Johnny's car some twenty feet away.  
They had a ride.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Mercedes, of course, had to be taken back to the hospital. Lacey had been trapped in a hole in the ground for ten days, so she was taken away by some nurses as soon as they stepped foot into the building. Laura was whisked away in the same general direction, but Leah and Johnny were left alone. They'd only been underground for about two days.  
The doctors kept Lacey, Laura, and Mercedes in the same room (due to some sort of call from Thorton), the police were called and a group of them were sent away to check out Jetty's little hide-away, and all of them had been forcibly sat down in bed by a rather domineering nurse.  
She was very kind. She gave all of them hot-chocolates, and was especially patient with Laura, who was still in a strong state of shock.  
Leah would've been forced to stay, too, but apparently her whole reason for being in town was because one of her sisters was having a baby, and she was about to pop. So she was allowed to leave before the police went about questioning everyone (besides Laura, who was barely able to string more than two words together). They were all told that they had to stay overnight.  
Johnny wanted nothing more than to just go back to his house and plop down in front of his TV.  
He noted that, somewhere around six in the morning, Laura's reserves of energy from shock and adrenaline finally seemed to deplete themselves, and she fell into a deep, probably well-deserved sleep.  
And Mercedes finally got her ice-cream.

**0o0o0o0o0**

I dreamed that I killed a man.  
No, I know that I killed him.  
I dreamed that I hadn't killed him.  
I dreamed that he didn't recognize the gun in my hands and charged.  
That I hadn't pulled the trigger.  
That he just grinned at me.  
Pulled the trigger himself.  
That Johnny's blood was pooling on the floor.  
That his eyes were more empty than glass marbles.  
Then he killed Lacey, laughing as she threatened him.  
Then Leah, no longer calm and sweet, screaming in fury.  
Then Mercedes, losing whatever life she had in her eyes.  
Gone.  
All of them.  
Dead.  
And me...  
Then...he turned to me. Stepped closer. I _still_ couldn't kill him.  
Then he just laughed...and walked away.  
Leaving me alone.  
Alone.  
Alone.  
My friends, dead and staring, no life, no life.  
And I still wouldn't pull the trigger.  
I woke up in a hospital bed, tears streaming down my face. I could see Mercedes and Lacey lying in beds to my right, watching a sizeable TV and eating ice-cream. Leah was sitting at the end of Lacey's bed as they chatted. Johnny was sitting on the edge of a bed to my left. "I guess I win that bet," he said when he noticed I was awake. I smiled up at him and tried to sit up slowly. "Hey," I said to him. "You know what? We're all alive."  
He gave me a tiny smirk. "Yeah," he replied. "We are that."


	28. Receptum du Extremus Part 4: Cleaning up

**Looks like this is the final chappy. I hope you all enjoy.**

Apparently, I'd been asleep for the last day and a half. Also, everyone had been placing bets on how long I'd stay asleep. Leah had bet on only 12 hours, Mercedes a day, Lacey 2 days, and Johnny a day and a half.  
Johnny won fifty bucks from that bet.  
Leah's sister had had a baby in the same hospital. He wasn't in the same ward, of course, and Leah (being the infant-fanatic that she is) spent nearly half of each day with her sister.  
The police came by and questioned me about Jetty, but they had (surprisingly) came to the decision that I'd only shot him in self-defense. Even more surprising was that I didn't even get charged for manslaughter.  
The legal system in this town is all screwy, but who am I to complain?  
After about three more days in the hospital, we were all permitted to leave. Good thing, too.  
I was starting to get a little stir-crazy.

**0o0o0o0**

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to mention," mentioned Mercedes. "But Thorton owns that hospital."  
I nearly chocked on my strawberry Fiz-Whiz.  
"That explains a lot," stated Johnny. "He had pretty much the entire hospital right there under his thumb."  
It'd been two months since the whole 'Jetty Incident'. Mercedes had started going to the same school as me as soon as her wound was fully healed, meaning she also pretty much wound up living with me.  
Eh, Thorton helped us find a good new apartment to live in, so why am I complaining?  
Lacey and Leah had headed back east after about a week of being out of the hospital. We had some good-quality down-time.  
Though Lacey wouldn't leave until she had a little talk with Johnny. I can only vaguely imagine what about because neither one of them told me what they talked about. But Lacey did give Johnny a death glare that said 'she gets hurt and I kill you. Maybe' before she left.  
"It does explain a lot...like how he knew immediately about Sadee being hospitalized," I added. "But hey, you still haven't told me how he got so damn rich to begin with!"  
Sadee's face split into a wide, evil-ish grin. "Oh, that?" she said. "Oh, Thorton's just an ex Mafia Lord."  
Johnny and I stared at her. "**Wat**?" we said. She chuckled. "Yeah, he used to be really up thar in all the super-underground crime bid-ness," she continued nonchalantly. "Then pretty much all of his immediate family (and a few others) were wiped out in some sort of secret war. He's mostly pulled out of all the illegal stuff, but he still has his connections from way up in that. How do you think you got away with the whole Jetty thing?"  
I frowned at her. I _still_ wasn't comfortable with what had happened back there. I don't think I ever will be.  
"I guess I'll have to thank him sometime," I mumbled.  
We sat there quietly for a bit. It was starting to get warm finally, but I was still wearing my tent of an orange sweater. Only, it wasn't _quite_ as orange as it used to be...  
"You ever gonna get rid of that old thing?" Asked Sadee. "It's got my blood all over it. Doesn't that bug you at all?"  
I shrugged. "I wouldn't get rid of it if it were only a rag. It's got loads of memories stitched into it," I replied. "Plus, it helped to saved the life of one of my best friends; it's got to be my luckiest piece of clothing I have."  
"And the looks you get from passerby are priceless," added Johnny. I laughed. "Yeah, that lady with the whole 'is that ketchup?' thing; _that_ was amusing." Then I poked him. "Are you _ever_ gonna tell us what you and Lace talked about? She didn't scare or scar you into silence, did she?"  
He shook his head. "Hardly. But that's something I'd rather not talk about; at least not now. Maybe some other time..."  
I crossed my arms and scowled. "You always say that, though..." Mercedes laughed at me. "Jeez, Laura, don't be such a kid." Being the incredibly mature person that I am, I stuck my tongue out at her.  
For the next few hours we just chatted, going back and forth with random thoughts half-formed, weird little bantery remarks, and all around just shooting the breeze.  
"...and then he said 'well, you'll have to cut my head off first,'" Mercedes was saying, talking about a dream she'd had the previous night. "And ya know what? I did! But all of a sudden, _Madonna_ and _Ozzy Osbourne_ come springin' outta his neck and start slow-dancing together! It was awesome!" We all broke down laughing. Wiping some happy tears from my eyes, I noticed the clock for the first time in about half a day. "Hey, Nny, you should prolly head out soon," I said. "It's 11:30; Sadee and I have classes tomorrow."  
He shrugged and stood up to go. "Are you two still planning on coming over afterwards?" He asked. "I'll probably finish the painting long before you guys get out of 'The God-Forsaken Hell-Hole'."  
We both nodded. "I can't wait to finally get a proper look at it," I said. Then he left and Mercedes and I had an argument before going to bed.  
Just another night in this little old life of ours.

**0o0o0o0**

A touch more of blue here.  
A trace of silver over there.  
No noise from Meat anymore.  
Johnny could finally block him out. He still felt itchy in his skin, he still felt those murderous urges every now and then, but he very, very rarely acted upon them. Maybe it was because of that question she asked...  
_"Does doing what I did...make me a bad person?"_  
It was such a silly little question, something a kid would ask if they stole marbles from school or something.  
But Laura more or less was a child. Maybe not in body or even in mind, but most definitely at heart.  
He shrugged and went back to the painting. There was something missing from it...Johnny couldn't quite place what it was...  
"Crap..." he muttered. "I _know_ it's missing something...what the hell is it, though...?"  
Then he saw it. He chuckled and shook his head. "Ah, shit. Wow, that was obvious..."  
Then he painted a small, dark line on the canvas.  
"There."  
He stepped back and took a look at his now completed painting. A surreal Laura was staring over her shoulder back at him, a newly painted smirk on her face.  
"Now it's done."

_**FIN**_

**Be good little ducklings and I just might add an epilogue.**


	29. Epilogue

**Okay, you guys were being such good little ducklings, I decided to post this earlier than I would have otherwise. Thank you my lovelies for the wonderful quacks (that made my day) and make sure you read the afterward! It's important!**

Mercedes had some classes on one of my days off from school. As much as I love the girl, I _do_ like hanging out with Johnny by myself every now and then.  
"I seem to have a weird sleep-pattern now," I was telling him as we sat at the Park of Shittiness- only it wasn't quite so shitty anymore. Sadee and I'd organized a clean up group for places like this, and even though it still wasn't much to look at, it was getting better.  
"How so?" asked Johnny from the base of my tree. I'd gotten him a sketch-book for his birthday (had to beat that date outta him, lemme tell ya) and he was now doodling something- it looked like the leaves and stuff on the ground.  
"I dunno," I said. "It's just...even though it's been nearly about 8 months since the whole Jetty incident, I only sleep for about four hours every two days. I don't know why, but at least I get a lot more work done, now." I dangled my legs from my branch, also sketching.  
He looked up at me. "And you're the one always going on and on about Mercedes and I eating and sleeping properly," he said pointedly.  
I chuckled. "Hey, you know I don't bug you about sleep. If you were a normal sleeper, I would never have met you. Life's more fun this way, ya know?"  
He shrugged. "I can definately call it more interesting with a person like you around," he admitted.  
"Good," I snapped jokingly. "I'm glad I was able to brighten up somebody's life."  
We sat quietly for a while, just sketching in our books. Every so often, I'd look down at Johnny.  
He was _such_ a fun person to draw.

**0o0o0o0**

Mercedes walked back to the apartment by herself. Once inside, she dashed towards Laura's room.  
Normally, Laura loved to show off her artwork. There were normally such creepy-cool creatures inside; all of them monsters in one way or another, but she called each and every one of them beautiful.  
But there was _one_ sketch-book she would'nt show anyone. Now, Mercedes normally wouldn't care, because Laura always revealed her artwork eventually, but this one...Laura was so _adamant_ about not showing it...it was very out of character.  
So Mercedes had to go take a peek.  
And since Laura had a doctor's appointment, what better time to look for it than now?  
She lifted up dozens of books scattered about the room, searching for the book. "It's _gotta_ be here somewhere..." she muttered. Then she slapped her palm to her forehead. "Ugh, _duh_."  
She lifted up Laura's mattress and, lo and behold, there was a medium-sized black sketch-book with a red spiral on the front. "Bingo!" she declared triumphantly.  
She slid the book out from the hiding place and sat on Laura's bed and began flipping through it.  
Every page had a picture of Johnny sketched on it.  
Johnny drinking a Brain-Freezy, complete with the red colour of the Freezy but with no others.  
Johnny sitting on a park bench, one arm flung over the back.  
Johnny from above, drawing in a sketch-book of his own. The orange of the leaves on the ground were all blended together perfectly.  
And this one...Sadee paused at this one for longer than any of them.  
It was a pencil drawing of Johnny sitting on the hood of his car, looking up at the stars. He looked so comfortable just relaxing.  
But beneath was written a poem; _that_ was what had caught Mercede's attention.

_Always so close, yet always so far_

_ Almost like reaching for a shooting star _

_And though the lights may seem so near _

_There's not much I can do, I fear_

_ I never seem to be able to say _

_What I want to any day _

_And if I were to find my voice _

_Maybe then I might rejoice _

_But all I do is sit and stare _

_Add a touch of light here, a bit of dark there _

_And though I want you to know _

_How I feel, but I think 'Oh!_

_There's no way you shall feel the same'_

_But for that, I only have me to blame _

_I daren't hope, I daren't dream _

_I dare not hope that you won't leave _

_I only wish for you to see _

_Just how much you mean to me._

Sadee smiled. "Jeesh, Laura," she chuckled. "Why do you have to be so damn shy?"  
Then she calmly slipped the book back into it's hiding place and walke out of the room.  
"It was obvious before, but now here's the proof," she said as she walked to the kitchen. "The only question is: does Johnny _not_ see it?"

**Okay, this is the final chappy of Phonecall. However, this is not where the story ends, my wonderful Ducklings. Nonono, I have another series that I'll be posting the first week of March. I need some time off for now (good thing for you that February is such a short month, eh?) but don't worry. The story will be called 'Broken Red'. Look forward to it! See you again in March!**

**~BattyKatt**


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